Ola Pilots 'No-Cancellation' Premium Service Prime Plus
The move by Ola comes as cancellations continue to be a pain point for those dependent on the two major ride-hailing platforms.
Ola is piloting a new premium service for select customers, said its Chief Executive Officer, Bhavish Aggarwal.
The co-founder of the ride-hailing aggregator said the feature would be called Prime Plus. "Best drivers, top cars, no cancellations or operational hassles," he tweeted.
The premium service will go live for select customers in Bengaluru on Monday, according to Aggarwal.
Testing out a new premium service by @Olacabs!
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) May 28, 2023
Prime Plus: Best drivers, top cars, no cancellations or operational hassles. Will go live for select customers in Bangalore today. Do try it out ððð¼
Iâll be using it frequently and will share my experiences here on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/c8YDDgnbPU
Ola didn't share further details on the new service, but the screenshot shared by Aggarwal showed the fee for a ride might be lower than its Minicab service—the cheapest private car rental it offers.
The move by Ola comes as cancellations continue to be a major pain point for passengers, who are dependent on two major platforms in India.
Ola and Uber's ride-hailing duopoly has also taken a hit from the Open Network for Digital Commerce, a government-backed, not-for-profit network. The ONDC offers two network mobility applications: one in Kerala called Yatri, which lets customers hail taxi cabs, and the other in Bengaluru called Namma Yatri, which provides auto service within city boundaries.