Ola announced on Tuesday that it was waiving off lease rentals for all those drivers who got their cars through Ola’s Fleet Technologies under its leasing program. “Driver-Partners who are currently in distress due to the temporary lockdowns to arrest the contagion of COVID-19, will stand to benefit with the reduced economic burden during these times,” Ola said in a statement. Fleet Technologies is a subsidiary of Ola.
Ola said that under its leasing program, drivers can get a long-term lease after putting down a deposit and then paying a daily rental amount. The daily rental amount varies between Rs 700-1,150 depending on the city and car model leased. “At the time of leasing, Ola Fleet Technologies charges Rs 4,000 as non-refundable charge and Rs 21,000-31,000 as refundable security deposit depending on the vehicle type,” it said.
“Further our benefits on insurance for drivers and their spouses against loss of income due to contraction of COVID-19 as well as other medical support during this time, will continue to be offered to all our driver-partners across the country,” Ola added.
This comes after cab services have been shut in many cities due to lockdowns imposed to curb coronavirus. This was one of the demands made by unions earlier, as rides continued to plummet due to a larger number of employees working from home.
Ola had earlier mentioned that it would offer a minimum network of services to support essential services, but he did not outline the cities where operations have been suspended. “Ola will continue to encourage citizens to limit travel only for essential emergency needs as per the Government’s directive. We will enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19,” an Ola spokesperson earlier told TechCrunch.