After a series of complaints from users that Ola drivers cancelled on them after enquiring about the drop destination, Ola will now enable drivers to see the approximate drop location and payment mode before they accept a ride. “We're taking steps to fix this industry-wide issue. Ola drivers will now see approx drop location & payment mode before accepting a ride. Enabling drivers is key to reducing cancellations,” said Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal in a tweet.
Addressing the 2nd most popular question I get - Why does my driver cancel my Ola ride?!!
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) December 21, 2021
We're taking steps to fix this industry wide issue. Ola drivers will now see approx drop location & payment mode before accepting a ride. Enabling drivers is key to reducing cancelations. pic.twitter.com/MFaK1q0On8
Ola users have been facing this issue for a while where drivers accept a ride and then call up the customer to enquire about the destination, following which they cancel it if they don’t want to travel to that destination. The new measures are aimed at limiting this practice going forward.
In October, Ola had announced a new vehicle commerce platform called Ola Cars with the aim of providing a better vehicle purchase and ownership experience to consumers. Ola Cars will enable consumers to purchase both new and pre-owned vehicles through the Ola App. "Customers are looking for a new way to buy, service and sell their vehicles. They are no longer satisfied with the archaic retail store mode," Bhavish Aggarwal had said.
The company said it will offer a bouquet of services to customers, beginning with purchase, vehicle finance and insurance, registration, maintenance including vehicle health diagnostics and service, accessories and finally resale of the vehicle back to Ola Cars.
"They want more transparency and a digital experience. With Ola Cars, we are bringing a completely new experience for buying, selling and overall ownership for both new and owned vehicles," Aggarwal had added.
Meanwhile, auto-rickshaw rides booked through app aggregators like Ola, Uber are set to get costlier from January 1, 2022 with the Union government deciding to impose 5% GST on such rides booked online. The Union government has announced that it will levy a 5% GST on auto rides booked online from January 1, 2022, ending an existing exemption. Auto rides taken from the streets will continue to be GST-free.