PM Modi to launch India’s first Online E-rickshaws on the Ola app as part of the ‘Stand Up India’ initiative

Ola, an Indian transportation app, announced on Tuesday the introduction of electric-rickshaws, popularly known as E-rickshaws, on its mobile app, enabling reliable mobility in smaller towns and cities.

A total of 5,100 Ola e-rickshaws will be launched in partnership with Bhartiya Micro Credit (BMC) at the event and will be deployed across Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad. This will be further scaled up in the coming months to more small towns and Tier 3 cities across the country.

With over 60 percent of the India’s population residing in small towns across the country, Ola, with its E-Rickshaw initiative aims to strengthen mobility in these towns, using technology that is convenient for both driver-partners and customers. Citizens in these cities and towns currently suffer from lack of convenient and reliable mobility options, especially for short distances. E-rickshaws are an affordable and greener alternative in these cities that can serve mobility needs unique to these small towns and cities in India.

Speaking on the occasion, Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola said, “It’s an honour to support PM Modi’s ‘Stand-up India’ initiative aimed at empowering thousands of e-rickshaw driver-partners, with innovative micro-entrepreneurship solutions and technology platform. Economic growth, rapid urbanization and environmental concerns are driving the need for innovative mobility solutions across the country. The transportation needs of users in smaller towns and sustainable alternatives for cycle rickshaw pedallers will be solved for with the introduction of e-rickshaws on the Ola app, which are affordable, environment friendly and convenient to hail. We believe this will touch the lives of hundreds of millions of citizens as well as the livelihoods of millions of driver entrepreneurs, taking us closer to our mission of mobility for a billion people.”

Ola’s E-rickshaws will give existing rickshaw pullers, the opportunity to enhance their skills and become driver-entrepreneurs and access to consistent demand through the Ola app on their smartphones. These green, affordable and sustainable vehicles involve lower human effort compared to pulled rickshaws, giving rickshaw driver-entrepreneurs a chance to become an integral part of Ola’s plan to enable mobility for a billion people.

Apart from employment, Ola and BMC will also set up and run skill development centers in these towns to enable continuous skilling and training for thousands of rickshaw driver-entrepreneurs. Through the smart and easy-to-use Ola app, rickshaw driver-entrepreneurs and customers can leverage the convenience of technology and participate in the country’s digital revolution.

Mahesh Sharma, MoS, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said, “The Government is committed to enabling better livelihoods through high impact skilling initiatives and opportunity creation. E-rickshaws are not only sustainable, but also a simple, yet very effective solution to an otherwise physically taxing pedal rickshaw riding. It’s heartening to see young entrepreneurs like Bhavish take interest and develop innovative solutions to solve India’s real problems and create a transformation in the lives of drivers, helping them become entrepreneurs. With Ola’s technology and BMC’s support, we are confident that many cycle rickshaw-pullers will grow into e-rickshaw driver-entrepreneurs, addressing the mobility needs of this country.”