In an attempt to improve its navigation technology, homegrown cab conglomerate Ola, acquired transportation and traffic tracking app, Ridlr, for an undisclosed amount. With arch rival Uber racking in the big bucks, Ola made this acquisition to make sure it stands out on all fronts. The buyout comes shortly after Ola recently raised $ 1 billion, started its services abroad, acquired a food platform and shut down its bus unit, Ola Shuttle.
As a part of the acquisition, Ridlr’s workforce of 64 will merge with Ola, while co founder of Ridlr, Brijraj Vaghnani, will continue to lead the day to day operations. Currently operating in New Delhi and Mumbai, the traffic tracking app offers information on bus and train routes. Apart from this, the company also helps users book transportation for public services as well as track real time traffic.
Through the acquisition, Ola is aiming at building a seamless experience for commuters who use its service in conjunction with public transport services like buses, trains and the metro. Furthermore, the acquisition helps strengthen Ola’s efforts in making travelling a truly effortless experience. According to reports, both Ridlr and Ola believe this merger is going to enable multi modal mobility solutions for their users at a larger scale.
Rumours of an Ola and Ridlr tie up have been going around for quite a while. Now that the deal has gone through, Ola has made it clear it wants to uset the resources at hand to bring new technology and mobility options as it makes plans to take over the world one city at a time.
Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Ola shared in a media statement that public transportation is a lifeline of millions of Indians and powering their needs like real-time information, mobile ticketing, cashless payments, and reliable services is bound to impact their end experience.”
“The challenge really is to make the entire ecosystem inclusive and robust for all. Ridlr, in a short span, has made huge strides in this space, and this latest acquisition lends muscle to our efforts in making transportation a far more holistic service,” he added. With this new relationship, it stands to see what Ola can achieve in the long run.
