Ola, Nissan ink partnership for cab leasing programme

CHENNAI: Cab aggregator Ola on Tuesday announced a partnership between its wholly owned subsidiary Ola Fleet Technology Pvt Ltd and Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd.

Ola rolled out a cab-leasing programme for driver-partners for which cars will now be purchased from both Nissan and Datsun brands. More such partnerships with leading manufacturers shall be rolled out soon to enable Ola to add over 100,000 vehicles on its platform through its cab-leasing unit by end of 2016.

Rahul Maroli, vice-president, Strategic Supply Initiatives at Ola, said: "Through this partnership, Ola's subsidiary will make available best in class vehicles to Ola driver partners, creating employment and subsequently entrepreneurial opportunities for hundreds of thousands of them. We are excited about working with Nissan, known for its cutting edge technology, and look forward to more such partnerships in the coming months for creating mobility options customized for the Indian market."

Arun Malhotra, managing director, Nissan Motor India, said, "The growth in the cab industry has been remarkable in the past couple of years in India and Ola, has revolutionized this space, impacting millions of customers and driver partners. Nissan has a strong presence in the fleet segment globally and in India, we see great potential. Our flagship models from both Nissan and Datsun brands are well equipped to cater to the fleet segment offering the much sought after features like space and fuel efficiency. We expect this partnership to further contribute to the growing personal transportation ecosystem in India."

Under the cab-leasing programme, Ola's subsidiary will enable flexibility for drivers to lease a car for a minimal initial deposit and monthly lease rentals that will also include routine maintenance of the vehicle, as against high down payments and monthly instalments for a loan.

This gives drivers the flexibility of not having to seek any loan or financing of their own and an opportunity to become the owner of the car after a period of three years, while giving them instant access to a stable income on the Ola platform.