Ola resumes operations in Tamil Nadu

Ride-hailing platform Ola on Thursday said it has resumed services across Tamil Nadu including Chennai in adherence to the guidelines issued by the state government. The company had earlier offered services in cities like Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Salem.

In Chennai, the company said it resumed operations and customers would be able to book auto-rickshaws and cabs for their needs, Ola said in a statement.

In the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, the company has undertaken various layers of safety measures including mask usage for drivers, sanitising cars before and after rides, encouraging cashless payments among customers and requesting passengers to load and unload their luggages on their own.

Fumigation of the vehicle would be done every 48 hours, the company 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 able to serve mobility needs of citizens..," company spokesperson Anand Subramanian said.

Complying with the government regulations, Ola said cabs would be operated with one driver and three passengers while in auto-rickshaws it would be two passengers excluding driver.