CHENNAI: Following the new guidelines issued by the Tamil Nadu government, cab aggregator Ola said on Friday that it has resumed its services in Chennai. The statement from Ola said it is following safety and precautionary measures across all vehicles.
Earlier, Ola had resumed operations across other major cities in Tamil Nadu including Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Salem. Now it has resumed operations in Chennai following the relaxation of the lockdown by the state government.
The statement said it has introduced five layers of safety that include strictly adhering to steps that ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene for every ride. This includes compulsory mask usage for driver-partners and passengers, deep sanitization of cars before and after rides, urging passengers to load and unload their luggage themselves as well as encouraging cashless payments, amongst others.
A flexible cancellation policy has also been introduced that allows either the passenger or driver-partner to cancel the ride if they feel the other party is not following the rules or not wearing a mask.
Ola has mandated all vehicles on the platform to follow hygiene and safety standards that will include the cars being cleaned and sanitized before every ride. Fumigation of the vehicle will also be done every 48 hours.
Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson and Head of Communications at Ola, said, “As per the latest guidelines issued by the Tamil Nadu government, driver-partners operating three and four-wheelers on the Ola platform in Chennai will be available to serve mobility needs of citizens on the Ola app, with the highest levels of safety and precaution. This also brings relief to tens of thousands of drivers-partners whose livelihoods have depended on serving citizens."