As we scale, we will be able to drive the business with more efficiency, which will allow us to pass on more benefits to the consumers.
Compared to Uber, we have a much local business model. We allow the customers to pay in cash as well as use our prepaid wallet. We allow them to book through call centres and pre-book for future travels.
In so many ways, our business is very, very unique. For example, in India, people pay with cash, and we accept cash from day one. And a lot of people in India pay with cash. And that's part of our business model.
Safety is top priority for us, and all our drivers are fully certified; all of them are checked. Their addresses are checked. Backgrounds are checked. To whatever extent the Indian system makes it possible to check.
We profile drivers based on their riding behavior, driving behavior to make sure we weed out the bad-performing drivers, which are considered unsafe in terms of their driving profiles.
We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem in a country which embraces new technology and innovation.
Three-wheelers are a vital means of transportation and a source of livelihood for millions of people every day.
Millions of Indians undertake their daily commute in our cities using their own vehicles, cabs, or other modes of personal transportation. With Shuttle, we intend to create a comfortable and reliable commute experience for them at the tap of a button on their smartphones.
All of us have an entrepreneur in us.
Our ambition is to build a globally competitive and futuristic transportation system in India that will support and accelerate a nation on the move.
Even before IIT, I always had an inclination to do something, even when I was in school.
In the U.S. or in the West, mobility means owning your own car. Cities are designed around spread-out suburbs, societal customs are that kids get a car after a certain age, and car ownership is very high.
Mobility in India is going to be different from the West. In America, people would look at an autorickshaw and say, 'This is a passing thing.' But in India, you know it will stay because it is fast and convenient.
In Mumbai, even Bollywood stars use autos when they are in a hurry.
In 10 years of being together - 6 while dating and 4 in marriage - my wife has never once complained about my physical or mental absence in our relationship.
I always have my backpack.
China rightly identified consumer Internet as important and moved to protect it, and we need to do the same in India.
The crux of what makes a company Indian is its entrepreneurship. The management needs to be in India.
I fully agree with innovation and letting the best product win.
Global companies can raise capital much easier than local Indian companies can because they have access to many more markets than we do, and this ends up distorting competition.
