Ola launches fleet service in Kolkata

Kolkata: Cab hailing service Ola Thursday launched its fleet service here in which vehicles would be given on lease to driver-partners.

West Bengal Transport Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that at the Bengal Global Business Summit held in the city in January, the government had signed a MoU with Ola to create 5,000 jobs in the city. The launch of fleet services on Thursday is a step in that direction.

"The launch of Ola Fleet is a result of the MoU with 50 cars being given initially to the driver-partners. The company will invest Rs 350 crore and the number will be scaled up in future," he said.

Transport secretary B P Gopalika said that the cab aggregators, both Uber and Ola, should ensure that prices do not surge more than what had been allowed by the government.

The government has allowed a maximum surge of 45 per cent over base fare for app-cab operators in the city.

Any complaint about abnormal surge would be dealt with strongly, he said.