Bhavish Aggarwal to forgo salary for 1 year; Ola launches fund for drivers

"Millions of drivers and their families have been affected, and even a humble contribution can have a lasting impact on their wellbeing," said Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson of Ola

Ride-hailing giant Ola on Friday announced the launch of ‘Drive the Driver Fund’ under the aegis of its social welfare arm, Ola Foundation, the firm said two days after the nation-wide lockdown has left the country’s drivers without any daily income. The fund aims to support auto-rickshaw, cab, kaali-peeli and taxi drivers, through contributions from the Ola group, investors and via a crowdfunding platform for citizens and other institutions. The proceeds of the fund will help towards the welfare and upliftment of drivers and their families who have been affected by the restrictions due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.

Ola’s initiative aims to bring together multiple stakeholders in the ecosystem such as customers, investors and partner organisations to participate in supporting millions of drivers and their families. The Ola group and its employees will contribute Rs 20 crore, while Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO, Ola will forgo 1 year’s salary, both of which shall go towards the fund. The SoftBank-backed company said the mobility industry has been brought to a grinding standstill during these stressed times. It said the driver community has been finding it hard to pay for their family expenses without a source of income. 

“Millions of drivers and their families have been affected, and even a humble contribution can have a lasting impact on their wellbeing,” said Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications, Ola. 

Ola said this initiative will focus on key areas such as emergency support and essential supplies, which are of utmost importance to drivers during these challenging times. Drivers and their families will also have access to free medical consultation. In due course, Ola Foundation will also take up initiatives to support drivers in areas such as aid for children's education amongst others.