Ola Sainiks, an army of ex-servicemen, join fight against congestion with Ola Share

As India celebrates 70 years of Independence, the nation’s most popular mobile app for transportation, Ola, brings its Share customers an opportunity to ride with Ola Sainiks. Sainiks are ex-servicemen, who have taken to a new entrepreneurial mission as Ola driver-partners. Customers opting for Ola Share from August 14th to August 16, 2017, will get an opportunity to ride with ex-servicemen and interact with them during their ride. They can expect to hear some first-hand accounts of the Sainiks’ days in the armed forces and how they continue to contribute to India’s development. Ola Sainiks are playing a pivotal role in driving the nation's larger agenda against de-congestion and traffic with Ola’s ridesharing offering across 26 cities.

With this initiative, Ola honours Sainiks for their commendable service to the country, and is proud to support them in their endeavour to raise awareness for traffic and congestion issues. Thousands of ex-servicemen will be driving on the Ola platform under its ‘Share’ category, sharing their stories with the customers and seeking support to make freedom from congestion, a reality.

Speaking on the initiative, Vishal Kaul, COO at Ola said, “I have personally interacted with several Ola Sainiks, ex-servicemen of the country, and they have some really inspiring stories to tell! We are thrilled to launch this initiative to honour their service to the nation, and support them in their fight against congestion and traffic, in their second avatars as Ola Sainiks. On the occasion of India's 70th Independence Day, we are equally excited to bring this unique experience for our customers, who will not only learn a lot more about the individuals who protect our country 24x7, but also, take inspiration to continue fighting congestion in our cities. With Ola Share, we strive to achieve freedom from congestion that will go a long way in improving the quality of life for every Indian.”

Gurmail Singh, a retired Subedar who was a part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force has been with Ola since 2015. Excited to share his story, he said, “I have served in the army for 30 years and am a proud retired officer. My life’s mission and that of many others like me continues to be serving the nation’s best interests. Congestion and vehicular pollution are major problems plaguing many of our cities. Encouraging citizens to use shared mobility will certainly, help in curbing the problem significantly. Being the medium of this message and a part of this mission, gives me the opportunity to continue serving my country.”

This initiative builds on Ola’s ongoing campaign, #FarakPadtaHai that emphatically brings out how each individual’s actions, no matter how small, make a big difference. Under the Independence Day initiative, Ola will also handover letters and thank you cards signed by its driver partners to various Army camps across the country. Customers can join the drive by sharing the heroic tales of Sainiks on Ola’s twitter handle, with #ISaluteSainik.