BHUBANESWAR: Amid lockdown restrictions, online cab aggregator Ola resumed all its services in Twin City from Friday afternoon. Commuters can now avail autorickshaw, bike and cab services through the mobile application between 7 am and 7 pm only.
The services resumed after two months with certain SOPs put in place for safety of commuters. According to the company, it has mandated driver-partners and customers to follow five-precautionary steps.
The service provider would encourage passengers to practice social distancing, take care of sanitisation measures and encourage personal hygiene etiquette at all times.Earlier, the ride-sharing platform was providing emergency services to Twin City for commutation to 83 designated hospitals only. The Ola cabs were allowed to provide round way service to not more than one passenger visiting hospitals. In case of patients, one attendant was allowed. A fleet of 100 cabs were provided passes by RTO Bhubaneswar-I, which had the driver details of these cabs and issued a separate guideline.
Requesting anonymity, an official at Regional Transport Office Bhubaneswar confirmed that the aggregator can offer such services as the earlier restrictions don’t hold valid now. “We have resumed our services in Twin City, but there are time restrictions. The autos will be allowed to carry only one passenger. In cabs, only two passengers can travel,” said Birendra Mohapatra, an Ola official here.