Ola, the Indian Ride Hailing company announced that the firm acquired public transport app, Ridlr whose software will be integrated in Ola and bring new facilities to users in helping with their commuting needs.
This acquisition consolidates Ola’s efforts in digitalizing the public transport facilities in India and is undoubtedly an additional asset for the Indian ride hailing company to compete with their main competitor Uber as the competition between the two platforms intensifies week in, week out.
Ridlr is an app that allows its users to search and book several public transport facilities on their smartphones. The platform’s patented Internet of Things (IoT) facilities allows digitalization of Indian public transport. Launched in 2009 by Ravi Khemani and Brijraj Vaghani, the platform gives its users real-time navigation information useful for commuting in cities. For instance, the app informs its users of roadblocks, diversions, cancellations of trains, etc… through GPS installed probes.
The acquisition is thus strategic for Ola as Ridlr’s technology of mass transit can easily be merged with Ola’s ride-hailing services, allowing efficient multi modal mobility solutions for the Ola clientele on a very large scale.
“Public transportation serves millions of Indians every day, and powering these needs with real-time information, mobile ticketing, cashless payments, and reliable services is bound to impact their end experience. The challenge really is to make the entire ecosystem inclusive and robust for all,” said co-founder and CEO of Ola, Bhavish Aggarwal.
“Ridlr, in a short span has made huge strides in this space, and this latest acquisition lends muscle to our efforts in making transportation a far more holistic service. I am delighted to welcome the Ridlr team on board and join our mission of building mobility for a billion people,” he added.
Ridlr is presently utilizing commuters by collaborating with the likes of BEST, Delhi Metro and Mumbai Metro, while running trials in several other developing and developed cities as well. The firm’s 64 employees will now join the team of Ola but remain under the leadership of Ridlr founder Brijraj Vaghani.
“The digital technology-driven services of Ridle and Ola are a perfect synergistic fit. We have been offering end-to-end mass transit solutions to Indian, making their daily commute seamless across different public transportation modes. Ola, on the other hand, has made deep in-roads in the realm of urban mobility through its smart ridesharing solutions,“ said founder of Ridlr, Brijraj Vaghani.
“By joining forces with Ola, we are delighted to become part of an evolved ecosystem that will act as a one-stop destination for any urban commute in an affordable and seamless manner,” Vaghani added.