Cab culture has revved up in Jharkhand with the country's largest taxi service aggregator Ola hitting the roads about a month ago.
Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Bokaro are among the 75-odd cities and towns across India where the doorstep service can be booked in seconds by dialling a toll-free number as well as on the web and a mobile app available on Android, iOS and Windows phones.
Senior Ola executive Sumit Kumar said their cab fleet offered both sedans and hatchbacks. "All our cars are audited for cleanliness, safety and comfort. Our drivers are well trained and reliable," he said.
In Ranchi, Ola Sedan, which includes cars like Honda City, Maruti Suzuki SX4, Tata Indigo and Volkswagen Vento, are available at Rs 49 for the first 2km and Rs 15 for every additional kilometre after that. Similarly, Ola Mini, comprising Maruti-Suzuki Swift and Ritz, Hyundai Santro and Tata Indica, can be booked at Rs 49 for the first 2km and Rs 12 for every kilometre thereafter.
In Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Bokaro, the base rate is Rs 60 for the first 3km. For sedan class, the charge is Rs 13/km after the base rate while the same is Rs 10/km for minicabs. "Also, Re 1 is charged per ride minute in all four cities. There are no waiting charges at present. The rates exclude parkingoll tax, wherever applicable," Kumar said.
Those who wish to call Ola, can dial 3355335 preceded by the local area code. Those who are more tech-savvy can download the app and book a ride or log in to www.olacabs.com. "All taxis are strictly for travel within the city and can't be used for intra-state travel," the Ola official warned.
Jharkhand's new-wage commuters, repulsed by unreliable city buses and fleecing auto-rickshaws, have increasingly become dependent on cabs. Two years ago, Ranchi-based entrepreneurs had launched Kesu Cabs and Clear Cabs. A year ago, Sea Cabs debuted in Jamshedpur. With the advent of a national player like Ola, commuters will have more options to choose from.
According to Ola driver Rahim Khan in Ranchi, in the first phase, 200-250 cabs have been signed up in all four cities.
Easy ride? Yes. Comfortable? Definitely. What about safety (particularly when a global taxi aggregate like Uber had its luck marred in India by a rape incident in Delhi)?
"After booking a ride, a customer is provided with details such as the cab driver's name and phone number on email and SMS. The user can share a link through SMS with friends and family for them to track the location of the cab in real-time. An SOS button has also been introduced in the app to make it user-friendly and ensure further safety of our riders. The cab service is available 24x7," senior Ola executive Kumar said.
Manasi Sinha, a Ranchi-born media professional working in Delhi, was all praises for Ola. "I booked for a ride to the airport on their toll-free number two weeks ago. I had a morning flight and the cab guy reached my doorstep dot on time. He was well-behaved and could even speak English."
"The ride came cheaper too!" she exclaimed. "I paid around Rs 150. Had I taken an auto-rickshaw, it would have cost me no less than Rs 200, that too after a lot of haggling."
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