OlaCabs, the Indian cab aggregator service which has been modelled on Uber, has been out there preparing to give Uber competition in the premium sedan segment for a while. Hence, Ola Luxury was launched in Bangalore in September, right after Uber picked it up as their launch city for India.
Now, while Uber is preparing to come to Mumbai, Ola has taken the battle to Uber’s camp by launching Ola Luxury in Mumbai first. Their premium fleet includes car brands like Audi, Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes and Toyota Camry at the moment, and more coming soon.
In terms of pricing, OlaCabs is offering the first two kilometres for a flag down cost of Rs. 250, and then Rs. 20 per kilometre. Over and above, there is a Rs. 2 per minute charge for the duration of the ride, in line with Uber’s per minute riding cost.
The difference from Uber comes in the way you book and pay for the cab. While Uber only allows for booking via their app, which I personally love, and you can pay only via your credit card, Ola Cabs is more desi in their approach. You can book via OlaCabs’ iPhone or Android App or via the call centre, however, the approach is on-demand, so you can’t book for a trip 6 days out like you could book up for an economy sedan city taxi. And you pay cash, not via credit card.
Now, I did try to get myself one of these cabs yesterday, but due to initial launch volumes, I could not try out one for myself. Maybe soon, I’ll put out a review when I get myself to ride in one of these.
And yes, Delhi is next in line for an Ola Luxury launch, while Uber is already there.
Related Posts:
Join over 2600 people who check-in daily to find out about the best in travel. Free emails (once-a-day) | RSS Feeds | Facebook Updates | Twitter | Instagram
Very good business