Just last year, I was writing praises of Ola’s product mix that allowed it to have the upper hand over Uber. In fact, I was so happy with Ola’s product strategy that not only did I endorse Ola Select’s benefits to all my friends & colleagues and open a corporate account with them but also swore to use OLA exclusively in India. However, in the past few months I have consistently found myself choosing Uber over Ola and (after much deliberation) I can hone it down to 3 main reasons.
1. Ola Select No Longer Offers a Compelling Value Proposition
For those who don’t know, Ola Select offers 4 main benefits:
- Ride without Peak Pricing
- Skip Booking queue
- Prime at Mini-Fares
- Free Wi-Fi during the ride
Initially, Ola used to charge Rs. 499 per month to avail Ola Select. Gradually they started increasing this price until it added up to a whopping Rs. 1999 a couple of months ago.
Since my monthly commute costs less than Rs. 5,000, the steep increase in the subscription cost was economically unfeasible. I felt as though Ola’s management was price gouging me and it broke my trust. I heard similar gripes from many who were regular Ola Select customers.
However, when I opened my app today, I found a discounted monthly subscription price had dropped to Rs. 1299, at the cost of capping the surge protection at Rs 75 per ride. It looks like someone at Ola noticed the drop in the subscriptions and attempted to salvage it with this move.
If I assume that Rs 75 equates to a 25% benefit per ride, then it works out to an average bill of Rs. 375 or a 25-kilometre trip which is rare for someone travelling within Mumbai (or most cities except Delhi & Bangalore). Even if I assume that I took those many trips in a month, it would still take 20 rides before the subscription paid for itself and 40 if I wanted to get any additional value out of it. Therefore, Ola Select would make sense to someone who was regularly spending Rs. 15,000 (40 x Rs. 375) on Ola per month – a rarity in Mumbai.
The biggest guffaw of this pricing strategy is that the normal Ola rides are now directly competing with Ubers prices and often, I end up opening both apps to see availability and pricing before I book my ride. This is something I do not recall doing when I was a Select member.
2. Untrained/Greedy Cab Drivers
The quality of Ola drivers has been steadily dropping over the past 12 months, but it has dived off a cliff over the last 3 months. On multiple occasions, drivers have hesitated to arrive unless they know the drop off location or cancelled the trip if it is short or payment isn’t going to be made in cash. Off-late, I observed the most alarming trend in Hyderabad & Bangalore wherein drivers want me to cancel my trip after they arrive and settle with them in cash for a discounted rate below the original trips pricing quote. Clearly, something is going on at Ola that is causing such drivers to be recruited and retained.
3. Filthy Car Quality
Ola’s fleet is ageing rapidly. Their quality assurance teams seem to have gone on vacation since the tablets have stopped working, in-car Wi-Fi is non-existent, the cars are well dented, have their paint scrapped off in many places and have not had their interiors cleaned in months. If Ola assumes that their riders will take 25-kilometre trips in these vehicles, the least they can do is to ensure that their vehicles are providing a comfortable commute.
The overall Ola experience has left a lot to be desired. The loyal Ola users are now looking for better options and it isn’t a coincidence that Uber has newly launched its Premier vehicles campaign. It assures the rider that they shall enjoy new vehicles and highly recommended drivers for their trip – at no monthly cost at all!
Time to buck up or it’s going to be hasta la vista, Ola!
72/2018
