Online cab booking service Ola (previously Olacabs) has started piloting an on-demand autorickshaw service on its mobile app in Bangalore, allowing users to book auto rickshaw rides in the city. Quite similar to its cab booking service, users can view autos nearest to their location on the app and make the booking. The fare payable is the regular meter fare plus Rs 10 as convenience fee. Interestingly, one has to enter the drop-off point before an auto driver accepts the booking. The availability of autos is limited at the moment, possibly because the service is still in a pilot phase. An Economic Times report states that Ola has roped in 300 autos for the pilot phase and each of these autos are equipped with a Huawei handset to enable auto booking and tracking. Also, worth noting is that Ola's recently launched in-app wallet doesn't work here and users have to currently pay the auto driver through cash. However, it's possible that Ola might add wallet support after the pilot ends. https://twitter.com/iVinay/status/534329745396092929 Interestingly, a Deccan Chronicle report also cites an auto union member who says that Ola is paying auto drivers Rs 10,000 per month on top of the fare, plus Rs 1,500 as mobile charges. This looks like one of the more critical moves from Ola and there is also significant opportunity for the company, considering that hiring an auto is still a dreadful experience where users have to resort to haggling and bargaining with auto drivers on a regular basis. What's going to be challenging though is getting more auto rickshaw drivers on board when they…
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