Popular cab-hailing platform Ola is now ready to take on services like Zoomcar, Myles and others in the self-driving car rental segment with the launch of its own car rentals dubbed “Ola Drive” in India. The company is further expanding its portfolio to make it possible for millennials to use a single app for all their travel needs – be it intra-city, inter-city, or just another leisure trip with friends.
Ola Drive has been launched in Bengaluru first, with plans to expand to Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Mumbai in the coming weeks. The company is now setting up pick-up stations across different residential and commercial hubs in Bengaluru. If you’re in the region, the Drive option should now appear at the top, next to Outstation, in your Ola app.
The company boasts that it has introduced the most flexible, highly-customizable rental service for users. They can book a car of their choice (including the Suzuki Dzire, Swift, Ciaz, Hyundai i10, Verna, Creta, and others) for as little as two hours. Once you pick a start and end time, the app will present you with the option to choose the distance you plan to drive the rental car. You get 80kms free with each booking, but you can choose whether you want fuel inclusion in the fare or not.
One of the highlights of Ola Drive is that all the rental cars under this program will come equipped with its connected car platform Ola Play. This means you will get a 7-inch tablet (read infotainment system, as per Ola) in the car with Bluetooth connectivity, GPS support, and media playback – just like you find in Premier cabs.
Ola Drive will also offer safety features such as 24/7 helpline, emergency button, and the ability to track your journey in real-time. This also includes “road-side assistance” if your rental vehicle ever breaks down, which is similar to what many of its competitors already have to offer. So, you no longer have to spend time looking for a self-driving rental car service as it’s now integrated in a service some may use on the daily.
