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Innovation Helped us Hold Over 3/4th Market Share: Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka

19Dec By PriyankaNo Comments

Entrepreneurs Talk

Innovation Helped us Hold Over 3/4th Market Share: Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka

Transport aggregator Ola today said its India-focussed innovations like offline booking and local language apps have helped the homegrown company "effectively hold onto over three-fourth market share". The SoftBank-backed firm, which is locked in an intense battle with US-based Uber, also claimed that every bit of technology it has built has been "made from the ground up without any premise to use as a base". "When they (Uber) launched in India in 2013, Ola hardly had a first mover advantage as we were doing just about 2,000 bookings a day. In spite of this, we have continued to build on our innovations effectively holding onto over three-fourth of the market-share," Ola COO Pranay Jivrajka told Pixr8. He added that the focus needs to be on localisation for building customised products f...

Sold Business in China Because Wants Full Focus on India – Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber

17Dec By AnkitaNo Comments

Entrepreneurs Talk

Sold Business in China Because Wants Full Focus on India – Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber

Months after selling its stake in China, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick today said it sold its stake to rival Didi since the "battle in China became global", prompting the US-based company to focus on other areas such as Ubereats, driverless cars and markets like India. "The battle in China had become global. We had sovereign wealth of China being invested in our competition globally. We had American tech companies that were being compelled to invest in our competitor in China. And so China battle had become a global battle," Kalanick said at the TiE Global Summit here. In August, the Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing announced acquisition of Uber's operations in China in a USD 35 billion deal. While Didi acquired Uber China's brand, business operations and data, Uber received 5.89 perc...

Uber Enter Into Billion Dollar Market “Indian Weddings”, Launched UberWEDDINGS in 12 Cities

22Nov By NitishNo Comments

News

Uber Enter Into Billion Dollar Market “Indian Weddings”, Launched UberWEDDINGS in 12 Cities

Taxi-hailing app Uber has partnered WedMeGood, a wedding planning website, to offer mobility solutions for wedding-related travel called UberWEDDINGS in 12 Indian cities. UberWEDDINGS will be live till February 2017 and will provide convenient, hassle-free and cashless mobility solution to users in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Pune, Udaipur and Lucknow, Uber India said in a statement. Apart from India, Uber offers UberWEDDINGS in Washington DC, San Francisco, New York, Boston and LA as well. "Weddings in India are typically an elaborate affair, often spanning month-long planning and week-long celebrations involving family and friends. While we all enjoy the fun and celebration, they also bring in the logistical challen...

Demonetisation: Ola Launches Ola Credit a Post Paid Service

17Nov By NitishNo Comments

News

Demonetisation: Ola Launches Ola Credit a Post Paid Service

Cab aggregator Ola announced the launch of Ola Credit - a postpaid service to enable hassle-free mobility to citizens who can now pay later for their rides. Claiming to be a first in the industry, the service is being launched at a time when cash conservation is important for many citizens, the company said. The service comes against the backdrop of demonetisation of high value currencies by government in its fight against black money, a move that has also resulted in cash crunch. Ola Credit will give customers 7 days of credit so they can keep booking Ola cabs without worrying about having sufficient cash, it said in a statement here. Ola Credit can be repaid via net banking, debit or credit cards easily through the widely accepted Ola Money e-wallet which is integrated into the app...

Self Driving Won’t Work in India Because Nobody Obeys Driving Rules: RC Bhargava

6Nov By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

Entrepreneurs Talk

Self Driving Won’t Work in India Because Nobody Obeys Driving Rules: RC Bhargava

At a time when the automotive world is bullish on self driving cars, Maruti Suzuki Chairman R C Bhargava says such autonomous vehicles will not work in India as "nobody obeys any of the driving rules". "I would love to see people try and put that technology to use in the Indian driving conditions," Bhargava said. At an interaction here late last evening, he was asked about his views on self driving cars and how were they likely to impact the traditional automobile industry. "I think no technology will work here when nobody obeys any of the driving rules, no nobody obeys any of the systems which are there. How will you devise a technology that will predict customer behaviour, nobody can predict customer behaviour?" he said. Asked about the impact of taxi aggregators like...

Softbank Looking To Invest 2000 Crores in OLA

24Oct By NitishNo Comments

FUNDING

Softbank Looking To Invest 2000 Crores in OLA

As per Economic Times report, Japan's leading telecom giant Softbank looking to invest Rs 1,700-2,000 crore in India's leading Taxi aggregator Ola. This is the first funding investment from Softbank after Nikesh Arora Exit. According to the sources, " SoftBank is looking to commit more capital but Ola wants to control dilution". Ola was valued at about $5 billion when it closed $500 million funding from China’s Didi Chuxing and Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford in November last year. The new investment will not increase the value. So far, Ola has raised about $1.2 billion and counts Soft-Bank, New Yorkbased investment firm Tiger Global Management, Russian billionaire Yuri Milner’s DST Global and venture capital firm Matrix Partners India as its largest shareholders. Las...

Now Book Ola, Uber Through Google Search in India

19Oct By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

News

Now Book Ola, Uber Through Google Search in India

Consumers will now be able to book a ride on Ola and Uber directly from Google Search. Earlier this year, Google had introduced the feature on Google Maps, where a dedicated tab with information for cab services was made available to Indian users, in addition to the existing driving, public transport, or walking options. "Now with this integration, commuters across the country can ask Google for directions and book ride services directly from Google Search," Google said in a statement. They will get to see a tab for ride services, both Uber and Ola, with fare estimates and pick-up times if a car is available near their location, it added. When a user requests for specific information like Taxi to Delhi or Ola/Uber to airport, the Google Search app or browser will direct the use...

20Sep By reutersNo Comments

FUNDING

Ride-hailing App Grab Raises $750M in Funding Led By SoftBank

Southeast Asian ride-hailing firm Grab said it raised $750 million in a funding round led by investor SoftBank Group, helping it build a warchest to solidify its leading position in the region and head off competition from Uber. Southeast Asia is fast becoming a key battleground for ride-hailing firms thanks to a burgeoning middle class as well as a youthful, Internet-savvy demographic. Grab's announcement comes a few weeks after Uber sold its China operations to bigger domestic rival Didi, an existing Grab investor, and analysts have said Uber may focus its efforts and money elsewhere, such as in Southeast Asia. The company is now valued at over $3 billion, a source familiar with the matter said. Its total capital position had increased to over $1 billion, the company said in a s...

Uber Tie-up With NSDC, Maruti to Skill 1 Million By 2018

15Sep By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

BUSINESS

Uber Tie-up With NSDC, Maruti to Skill 1 Million By 2018

Transportation app Uber has launched a new initiative in partnership with Maruti and NSDC, for creating livelihood opportunities for one million people by 2018. Under UberSHAAN, the company will provide access to skill development and driver training to the unskilled, Uber India President Amit Jain said. The initiative will also help trained drivers receive commercial licenses, vehicle financing and leasing solutions, he added. "With UberSHAAN, our plan is to rapidly scale Indias entrepreneurial base and generate one million livelihood opportunities on the Uber platform by 2018. Our partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation and Maruti Suzuki will be instrumental in realising our goal by 2018," he said. Uber has about 4 lakh drivers on its platform in India, which ...

Ola Fires 250 People Citing Non-Performance, Other Issues to Take on Rival Uber

4Sep By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

News

Ola Fires 250 People Citing Non-Performance, Other Issues to Take on Rival Uber

Within weeks of firing about 700 employees of its TaxiforSure operations, cab aggregator Ola has now sacked close to 250 people from its own workforce citing non-performance and other issues. The move comes as the Bengaluru-based firm is locked in an intense battle with global rival Uber in the Indian market. "An annual attrition of 3-4 per cent is a natural churn that is witnessed in the current industry scenario. This includes performance driven exits, contract roles as well as a few surfacing from constant business realignment," an Ola spokesperson said. The spokesperson further added that these have been "well thought through" organisational decisions, keeping in mind the best interests of employees and business efficiencies. The company, however, said it also inten...

Didi Acquisition of Uber Was Pre-planned, Will Investigate: China

2Sep By reutersNo Comments

CHINA, News

Didi Acquisition of Uber Was Pre-planned, Will Investigate: China

China's commerce ministry is investigating the planned acquisition by ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing of U.S. rival Uber Technologies Inc's China unit over anti-monopoly concerns, the ministry's spokesman said on Friday. Shen Danyang told reporters the Ministry of Commerce would look to protect fair market competition and consumer interests in the deal, which will create a roughly $35 billion giant dominating China's car-hailing market. A representative for Uber could not be reached immediately for comment. A Didi spokeswoman said: "We are in communication with the authorities." It is unclear how the investigation could affect Didi's planned acquisition and subsequent integration of Uber's China unit, already the top two players in the market. That had raised monopoly concerns as D...

Taxi Aggregator Uber and Careem Suspend Services in UAE Capital

29Aug By NitishNo Comments

News

Taxi Aggregator Uber and Careem Suspend Services in UAE Capital

Ride-hailing companies Uber and Careem have suspended services in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, since Saturday and do not know when they can resume operations, they said on Sunday. The National, a UAE newspaper, quoted unnamed sources as saying that as many as 50 drivers for Uber and Careem had been arrested. An Abu Dhabi source familiar with the situation told Reuters some drivers had been detained over violations of regulations but did not specify how many drivers or describe the violations. “This is a temporary suspension and we will let you know of any further updates,” an Uber spokesman in Dubai said via email. He did not respond to questions about the arrests or the reason for the suspension of services. Christian Eid, vice-president of marketing and com...