Ola launches offline booking feature

​In its efforts to out-do global player Uber, taxi-booking app Ola has constantly upgraded its technology to ensure a better customer experience and access to mobility​. The Bengaluru-based company has come out with a feature called ‘Ola Offline’ that will allow customers to book cabs even without or low Internet. The feature has been launched in the key metros ​at present and will slowly be rolled out in other cities where Ola is present.

Ola​ has been piloting the feature in smaller towns and cities since June this year​. The need for access to mobility even in the absence of Internet connectivity and constraints in the current data and connectivity infrastructure, has paved the way for the launch of this innovative feature for India​, Ola said in a statement today.

Although over 46 crore people in the country today have access to Internet,​ a​ vast majority of the popula​tion, mostly in the smaller towns, still struggles to get adequate data connectivity. ​The problem is still worse for people who are on pre-paid services and India is a big pre-paid market.

Spotty 3G and 4G coverage also account for a fair amount of data connectivity issues, even in Tier-1 cities. With the launch of ‘Ola Offline’, Ola is aiming to reach out to these people with an endeavour to provide seamless and consistent access to mobility at all times. The feature will be available across all cab categories namely Micro, Mini, Prime and Lux​, the company added.

Ankit Bhati, CTO & Co-Founder, Ola said, “As the country ushers in the digital revolution with projects such as Digital India and Smart Cities, the way users experience technology is changing. While connectivity continues to be an infrastructural challenge, we are constantly building innovative technology that helps fill the gap, and the launch of the ‘Offline feature’ is a major step in that direction. We understand that while an Ola might be available around you, a working Internet connection might not always be. Ola Offline will now plug this gap.” He further added, “Mobility is an integral part of a developing economy. It should not stop, irrespective of any technology or infrastructural constraint. We will constantly look at innovative ways to realise our mission of building mobility for a billion Indians.”

The ‘Offline’ feature was piloted in several smaller markets such as Indore and Nagpur, and has gained significant acceptance among consumers in these cities over the past few weeks. Following its success in these markets, the feature will be rolled out across all the 102 cities that Ola operates in.

‘Ola Offline’, like other innovative features, namely, ‘Ola WiFi’, ‘2G optimisation’ and ‘regional language support’ have been built on local insights. A diverse country like India faces multiple challenges when it comes to offering a seamless mobility experience, and Ola with its variety of offerings including auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, Kali-Peelis, is successfully offering consistent and affordable mobility solutions across the 102 cities it operates in.

How ‘Ola Offline’ works

While attempting to book a cab on the Ola app in the absence of an Internet connection, users will now get two options : Retry or Book via SMS​.

Customers can choose to Retry if they've come to a place with better Internet connectivity, or go with the second option.

On selecting the latter, users will get redirected to their default messaging app where they will see a pre-entered text message requesting Ola to book a cab

On sending the text message, users will get an SMS with the particulars of the nearest available cabs across categories.

Once they select their preferred cab category, they will receive driver and cab details instantly by SMS.

The driver, on the other hand, will also receive the customer contact details and the GPS triangulated location of the user

Once the Internet connectivity resumes, the ride details, GPS tracking, SOS button, and other features associated with the ride will be available for the user on the Ola app.

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