Ola's big 'play' is gimmicky

Riders just want fewer cancellations, reports Tech in Asia

Ride-hailing app Ola, the Indian rival to Uber, launched a massive upgrade to its in-cab entertainment plans on Tuesday – Ola Play. Think in-flight entertainment, complete with videos, music, and other paraphernalia, but for cab rides.
 

The trouble, however, lies in the fine print.
 

To begin with, Ola’s claim that this is the world’s first such innovation might be true technically, but Uber already has a similar proposition in play in the United States. Users can listen to music [a 10-minute playlist for a 10-minute ride], or news updates, or even order food if they want. On the face of it, the concept sounds the same, minus the glam quotient of Ola’s touch-screen hardware, and the added promises of tourist guide [a demo showed how trips in Mumbai will come with an in-app guide of Bollywood stars’ homes, but more on this in a bit], temperature control, or shopping.
 

When asked how Ola Play was different from what Uber has (Uber’s service is not available in India), Bhavish replied with a version of “but we are better.”

Then comes the question of availability. For now, Ola Play is available for higher end “Prime” cabs only for Ola Select customers in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi. 

Now, Ola has been offering wifi services in its premium cars for some months now, but the returns from something this elaborate can only be counted over a long period of time, and only with seamless integration. 

Ola, by the way, did not say what percentage of their users booked Prime cabs, so we don’t know what sort of influence it would have for the company’s loyalty base.

This is at a time when Uber is going all out in India, leaving no stone unturned to gain a following.

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here