Ola Launches ‘My Ride. My Cause.’ To Mobilise Support For Social Causes

Special initiative leverages Ola’s platform to enable customers to contribute funds towards social causes

Partners with Tata Trusts’ Alamelu Charitable Foundation to support cancer care efforts

Ola customers to have the option of donating INR 1 per ride towards cancer care

Bangalore | May 07, 2018: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing companies has launched ‘My Ride. My Cause.’ on its platform to crowdsource funds and support social causes by leveraging its vast network of millions of customers across India. Ola has rolled out this special initiative through a unique partnership with Tata Trusts’ Alamelu Charitable Foundation (ACF). As a part of this initiative, Ola customers will have the option to contribute a sum of INR 1 per ride. This sum will be crowdsourced and utilized towards lending support to improve cancer care in the country.

TT2

Over the years, Ola has played a key role in building a stronger ecosystem for transportation thereby, having a deep impact on the quality of life in cities across India. Ola has worked collaboratively with various stakeholders to make this happen i.e. ensure reliable, affordable, and convenient commute at scale. Ola believes that there is a lot that can be achieved together, for the well being and betterment of the society; leveraging its platform to reach out to customers to crowdsource support is a big step in that direction. Ola has launched this special initiative by collaborating with Tata Trusts and mobilise funds for cancer care.

There is a huge burden of cancer in India with 14.5 lakh new cases reported in 2016 alone. Lack of infrastructure, skilled human resources, and cancer prevention programs aggravate the situation further. In order to bring about meaningful change in cancer care, Tata Trusts has taken on the mission to support the delivery of affordable and accessible care, and motivate people for regular screening. With millions of rides that Ola facilitates per day and huge network of customers across India, this partnership will certainly, result in mobilizing funds at scale.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Ola said, “We are proud to introduce ‘My Ride. My Cause.,’ a unique and national-scale initiative to crowdsource support for critical social causes. As a homegrown and leading mobility platform, Ola is committed to enabling holistic well-being and prosperity of the country. This initiative reiterates our commitment as it will unify millions of Ola customers to mobilise funds and ensure that aid reaches where it is needed the most in our country. He further added, “Tata Trusts has been a staunch supporter of a number of pressing issues, and we are proud to partner with them and lend muscle to their efforts to strengthen cancer care in India. I encourage all our customers and employees to do their bit and join the fight against cancer.”

The contributions raised by Ola customers will enable the foundation to make cancer care affordable and available in rural and remote areas of India. Funds mobilized will help in crucial diagnosis and treatment of cancer that can prevent loss of life.

Venkataramanan, Managing Trustee- Tata Trusts said, “Nationwide early cancer detection and access to quality care is a dire need. Tata Trusts is playing a facilitating role to establish infrastructure, develop protocols and trained personnel in partnership with multiple State Governments, NGOs, hospitals and clinicians across the country. However, this task requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders. We are grateful to Ola and are privileged to partner with them to support this noble cause”

Here’s how customers can start contributing;

Step 1: Once a ride is booked, customers will be able to see an option to contribute INR 1 on the ride booking screen
Step 2: Upon clicking ‘see how,’ customers will be able to see detailed information about the foundation and how their contributions will be used
Step 3: The button at the bottom of the screen that says ‘Donate INR 1 on every ride’ enables the contributions
Step 4: Once accepted, customers will see their contribution towards the foundation in the ride details screen for every ride. Customers can choose to opt in and out at any point of time
Step 5: Alternatively, customers can activate contributions from the ‘Donations’ section, under Profiles in the global menu

Ola’s partnership with Tata Trusts is in continuation to the company’s commitment to be a socially responsible and an inclusive brand. Customers will be able to track the total amount of contributions made at any time and can also claim tax exemption with an 80G certificate for the contributions made (available from January 2019).

About Ola:

Founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola is one of the world’s largest ride-sharing companies. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver-partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfilment. Ola is focused on leveraging the best of technology and building innovative solutions ground-up, that are relevant at global scale. Notably, in 2016, Ola Play the world’s first connected car platform for ride-sharing was launched, transforming commuting experiences and setting the tone for global innovation in this space. Beyond offering a highly personal experience for users during their rides, Ola Play also allows its partners like Microsoft, Apple Music, Sony Liv amongst others, to build a high quality interactive and productive experience for its users. Using the Ola mobile app, users across 110+ cities, can connect with over 1,000,000 driver-partners across cabs, auto-rickshaws, and taxis. Driven by a hyperlocal approach, Ola is committed to its mission of building mobility for a billion people.

About Tata Trusts

Since inception in 1892, Tata Trusts, India’s oldest philanthropy, has played a pioneering role in bringing about an enduring difference in the lives of the communities it serves. Guided by the principles and the vision of proactive philanthropy of its Founder, Jamsetji Tata, the Trusts’ purpose is to catalyse development in the areas of healthcare and nutrition, water and sanitation, education, energy, rural upliftment, urban poverty alleviation, and arts, craft and culture. Tata Trusts’ programmes, achieved through direct implementation, partnerships and grant making, are marked by innovations, relevant to the country. Alamelu Charitable Foundation, an associate organisation of Tata Trusts was formed in 2017 to spearhead the Trusts’ initiatives in providing affordable, accessible and high quality cancer care in India.

For more information, please visit http://tatatrusts.org/

Social Media

Twitter: @tatatrusts

Facebook: Tata Trusts

Instagram:tata_trusts

For additional details, please contact: media@olacabs.com