Ola rideshare app introduces new safety features as cabbies play catch up

Ola aiming to take Uber’s crown by focusing on rider safety and driver pay, while taxis streamline transactions to take on rideshare rivals.

The introduction and eventual legalisation of rideshare apps that allow users to connect with nearby drivers have changed the way we get around.

Ridesharing, along with carsharing, has even struck fear into the automotive industry that “millenials” aren’t interested in purchasing their own vehicle.

Additionally, location tracking and automatic record keeping provide riders a safer experience than hopping into any old car on the street.

But there will always be concerns about getting into a car with a stranger.

In order to try and allay some of these fears, Indian-born rideshare platform Ola recently introduced new safety features for its app.

Rideshare company Ola has introduced a new passcode feature to ensure riders get in the right car.

The company has been trialling a new “one-time passcode” feature in Adelaide for the past month, and is now rolling out the feature nationally.

The feature is designed to improve rider and driver safety by ensuring the car you order is the one that arrives, and protecting drivers from picking up the wrong person.

Now, when you order a ride in the Ola app, you’ll receive a four-digit passcode.

When the driver arrives, you tell them the code, they enter it into their app, and the trip can begin.

The passcode system also prevents drivers from sneakily starting a trip before a rider hops in the car.

The new feature is like a more secure version of Uber’s existing Spotlight feature that turns your phone screen a designated colour so you can use it to flag down your driver.

Spotlight doesn’t do anything to prevent drivers starting trips early.

The new passcode system joins Ola’s other safety focused SOS system.

The emergency button in the Ola app sends an automatic message to the platform’s “safety response team”, who then try to get in touch with both the rider and the driver.

After an alert is sent there is also a button in the app to dial police.

Users can also configure their app to send a message to emergency contacts with their driver’s contact details, vehicle information, and a link to track the vehicle’s location.

Similar features have also been added to the Uber app.

Ola Australia and New Zealand managing director Simon Smith with one of the company's rideshare vehicles.

“Coming out of India where safety is a huge issue, Ola has always had a focus on ensuring its riders and drivers are safe,” said Ola Australia and New Zealand managing director Simon Smith.

“This is one of a number of new security initiatives we’re working on locally as we seek to further bolster safety across the platform and solve some of the major issues that face rideshare globally.

“Everyone understands rideshare is a very safe way to travel, much safer than taxis you get in on the street, every time you order a rideshare we know exactly who the driver is, where you are… we’re also conscious people want to be assured of their safety,” Mr Smith said.

Ola was first launched in India in 2011 but didn’t come to Australia until last year, its first market outside its native country.

The service launched in Sydney before expanding to Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Adelaide, Perth, and Canberra.

Ola is also available in New Zealand and the UK.

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Part of the company’s growth strategy has been to offer steeply discounted promotional rides for new users as well as occasional discounts for existing ones through a promo tab in its app.

Mr Smith said the company pays its drivers the same amount regardless of whether rider’s take advantage of a promotional discount or not.

Rideshare company Ola is attempting to challenge Uber for dominance in the Australian rideshare market.

While drivers are believed to get a better deal with Ola (who take 15 per cent commission from fares), drivers have expressed disappointment that the amount of ride requests they receive decreases outside of promotional periods, and many drivers look for riders across multiple rideshare platforms.

Mr Smith acknowledged Ola still has work to do in keeping riders using its platform without offering steep discounts, given many of them are used to using a competing service.

“We’re disrupting the disrupter, we need to get [riders] to change what has become a habit for them,” he said.

In an attempt to streamline the registration process to get riders on its platform quicker, Ola also supports Apple Pay, allowing riders to pay through the app without assigning a credit card to their account.

13cabs now support Apple Pay for faster service.

Taxi network 13Cabs also announced support for Apple Pay through its “Quick Ride” feature earlier this month.

In addition to 13cabs’ own app, you can also book taxis through a variety of others, including Uber’s Taxi tab, Ingogo, and Bolt (formerly Taxify).

13cabs COO Stuart Overell said the addition of Apple Pay helps remove some of the friction between ordering a cab and getting where you need to go.

“We know that many passengers are arranging their taxi trips via an app and over the last year alone, we saw a 66% increase in 13cabs app downloads. Speed is currency and our passengers don’t have time to download and register all of their details when they need to book a ride.”

While Ola has introduced new features aimed at ensuring safety, on Friday morning rideshare giant Uber sent an email to Australian users with an update to its “Community Guidelines” aimed at “creating a safe, respectful and positive experience for everyone who uses the Uber apps”.

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Both riders and drivers are “expected to follow” the “refreshed guidelines”, but it’s not clear what plans Uber has to make sure this is actually done, aside from its usual rating system.

The guidelines contain such sage advice as “Treat Everyone With Respect” and “Help Keep One Another Safe”.

One guideline simply tells app users to “Follow the law”.

Uber came under sizeable scrutiny when it first launched locally through its wilful ignorance of (arguably outdated) local regulations, but regulations have since been altered to accommodate rideshare platforms.

Do you feel safe hopping in a car with a stranger? Let us know in the comments below.