【】

Uber and its Indian rival Ola are racing against each other in better serving Indian customers on slower networks.
Not long ago, Uber rolled out a feature in India that lets people book a cab without downloading the app. Today, India’s largest cab-hailing service Ola announced that users on its platform can now book a cab even when there is no internet connectivity.
SEE ALSO:Uber, Ola to offer rides to Indian government departments with no surge pricingDubbed 'Ola Offline', the feature comes into play when a customer doesn’t have good (or any) data connectivity. When that happens, Ola app offers users with two options: the usual, Retry; and a new 'Book via SMS'. Tapping the latter takes them to the messaging app, where they see a pre-entered text message requesting Ola to book a cab.
From there, users are able to interact with Ola through text messages. Ola sends them details of cabs available at nearby places, and users can select the driver and book a cab using SMSs. Ola says it informs the driver about the contact details with the GPS triangulated location of the user.
Ola Offline is available across all cab categories in four metro cities starting today. Other regions will get Ola Offline over the coming weeks. "We understand that while an Ola might be available around you, a working Internet connection might not always be. Ola Offline will now plug this gap," Ankit Bhati, CTO and co-founder of Ola said in a statement.
Ola Offline further underscores how serious Ola is about expanding its service to the untapped Indian market. The company also offers features like Ola WiFi, 2G optimization, and regional language support.
In August, Uber rolled out two similar features to encourage more people to use its service. The company offered users the ability to book a cab by visiting the mobile website, and also allowed them to book a cab for their friends. Additionally, Uber announced last month that it will let people in select part of India schedule a ride.
Internet penetration continues to be a big problem in India, but companies are increasingly finding ways to serve Indians. Earlier this month, Google announced a fleet of new features for Indian on slow networks, including a new YouTube app called YouTube Go.
TopicsUber
相关文章
Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversary
There's nothing like good friends, good memories and zero gravity to celebrate a milestone. 。In honor2025-04-03George W. Bush sides with the media against Trump
George W. Bush is back, baby. The 43rd president of the United States had his fun playing with ponch2025-04-03Hyperloop One begins initial talks with the Indian government
Hyperloop One's high-speed transportation solution could reach India in the near future. That's the2025-04-03Google rolls out its new tool to fight disgusting internet trolls
As Twitter, Facebook, and other popular sites across the web continue to figure out how to fight tro2025-04-03One of the most controversial power struggles in media comes to a close
One of the world's biggest media companies has been embroiled in a complex personal and professional2025-04-03Gloria Steinem refuses to talk sh*t about Emma Watson, obviously
Emma Watson covers the March issue of。 Vanity Fair 。 with a profile that revisits her child star past2025-04-03
最新评论