Mobility platform Ola announced the launch of ‘Ola Emergency’ on its app to enable essential medical trips on its platform in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Government of Karnataka. The new category will bring a much needed mobility solution for many citizens who do not have a mode of transport to access a hospital in case of a medical emergency.
‘Ola Emergency’ is available in Bengaluru starting today with a network of cars that are equipped with masks and sanitisers and will be operated by specially-trained drivers. To book an ‘Ola Emergency’ cab, citizens can select the category “Enabled for Hospitals” on their Ola app, and enter the drop location from a list of available hospitals in the city.
Ola has enabled over 200 hospitals on its app to provide the service and ensure cabs are used only for essential medical travel. The service will be available across Bengaluru and is slated to soon launch in other major cities.
“After the lockdown, for Covid-19, all 108 ambulances are being used. To ensure citizens are not troubled, Ola has come forward and will transport people with all cases of medical trips and emergencies that don’t require an ambulance, between homes and hospitals, for a minimal charge. This permission has been provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to provide an essential service to the citizens in need,” said B Sriramulu, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, in a statement.
Speaking on ‘Ola Emergency’ services, Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, Ola, said, “With a dedicated network of sanitised cars and trained drivers, Ola Emergency will be available 24x7 on the app for citizens of Bengaluru. We thank the Karnataka government for the opportunity to collaborate in serving our citizens in these challenging times. We will continue to collaborate with Central and State governments to provide hassle-free mobility solutions for essential travel and make similar services available in more cities soon.”
Ola is working with the authorities to ensure all drivers and cars are equipped with essential protective equipment such as masks and sanitisers, and will ensure the service is used only for medical travel that is non-Covid and doesn’t require an ambulance like dialysis, chemotherapy, scheduled check-ups and physical injuries among others. Customers will be charged a nominal fare to compensate driver-partners for their services.
Last week, Ola collaborated with the Karnataka government and stakeholders like the Corona Task Force, to help ferry senior citizens in need of medical support across Bengaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad. Through ‘Ola Foods’ the company has been supporting various efforts to provide migrant workers with quality, hygienic food in Bengaluru. Additionally, Ola Foundation, the social welfare arm of the company, had recently launched the ‘Drive the Driver Fund’ to support cab, auto-rickshaw, and kaali-peeli taxi drivers across the country, through contributions from the Ola Group and through a crowd-funding platform for citizens and institutions.