Ola and West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd Sign MoU to Create 5000 Job Opportunities in the State

Ola to provide 5000 new cabs in a phased manner within a year at an investment of INR 300 crore within a year
Aligned with the State Government’s commitment to boost entrepreneurial opportunities
Partnership will target unemployed youth registered with Employment Bank of Labour Department

17th January 2017, Kolkata: West Bengal Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBTIDCL), a fully owned company under the Transport Department, Government of West Bengal and Ola, India’s most popular mobility platform, have signed an MoU to create 5000 entrepreneurial opportunities in the state. The MoU was signed by Sandeep Divakaran, CFO of Ola Fleet Technologies (OFT) in the presence of the Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt Mamata Banerjee, the State Finance Minister Shri Amit Mitra and other members of the Ministry and many other eminent dignitaries at the on-going Bengal Global Business Summit 2018, the annual two-day business summit that saw participation from over 30 countries.

Under the MoU, Ola will provide 5000 new cabs to unemployed youth enrolled in the Employment Bank of Labour Department, Government of West Bengal (GoWB). The permits of these cabs and driver partners will be issued by the State Transport Authority, West Bengal, under the Fleet Taxi Operators Scheme, 2018. The cabs will be allotted in a phased manner within a year at an investment of INR 300 crore.

Sandeep Divakaran, CFO, Ola Fleet Technologies said, “The mobility sector in the country is witnessing phenomenal growth and has the potential to empower aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life. We are proud to partner with the State Transport Department to create 5000 entrepreneurship opportunities in Bengal. This collaboration is very encouraging and is instrumental in advancing our mission of enabling mobility for a billion Indians. We salute the Government’s focus on economic development and creating employment opportunities across the State.”

Ola is successfully operational in 4 cities (Kolkata, Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri) in the state of West Bengal with various offerings including the likes of Ola Micro, Ola Mini, Ola Prime, Ola Share, Kaali Peelis, Ola Rentals and Ola Outstation. This association with Government of West Bengal will enable thousands of men and women to take their first step towards entrepreneurship. Ola will also aid in giving better access to training, enable digital and financial inclusion, as well as other benefits such as insurance to existing driver-partners.

Ola is deeply committed to Government of India’s skill development initiative and has rolled out several programmes to promote entrepreneurial growth and opportunities across the country. Ola has tied up with NSDC and RISE India to skill 50 lakh drivers by 2020 and has committed Rs. 100 crore towards the initiative. As part of the initiative, Ola and RISE India will set up 500 driver training centres across the country.

About Ola:

Founded in Jan 2011 by IIT Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola (formerly Olacabs), is India’s most popular mobile app for personal transportation. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent and quick service fulfillment. Ola is committed to its mission of building mobility for a billion people. Using the Ola mobile app, users across 110 cities can book from over 800,000 vehicles across cabs, auto-rickshaws and taxis. Ola has also introduced a range of shared mobility services on its platform like Ola Shuttle and Ola Share for commute and ride-sharing respectively. The app is available on Windows, Android and iOS platforms. Please visitwww.olacabs.com/media for more information.

For additional details, please contact:

Amit Nanchahal | media@olacabs.com | 8130463737

Varnika Gupta | media@olacabs.com | 9999004643