Ola Vs Uber - The Ultimate Debate

For sometime, there has been this continuous debate over which taxi operator - Ola or Uber is better. So, I took it upon myself to distinguish between the two, analyse the pros and cons of both the apps, their drivers and customer satisfaction and here is my report:

Ola Cabs

OlaCabs:

Ola Mini (Rs. 80 for 4 kms and thereafter Rs. 10/km)
Ola Sedan (Rs. 100 for 4 kms and thereafter Rs. 13/ km)
Ola Auto (Meter Rate + Rs10 convenience charge)

Ola Mini offers its customers a small car with a small boot space at a relatively lower price. This car is ideal for 1 - 3 passengers but can hold 4 passengers (excluding the driver).
The Ola sedan can more or less comfortably hold 1 - 4 passengers (excluding the driver) at a slightly higher price.
The Ola Auto allows customers to book an auto which can hold upto 3 people. The advantages of an Ola Auto is that it allows customers to travel whatever distances that they want without bargaining with the Auto Driver. I, have used this feature a m times and at certain instances, the drivers have been mean and refused to come even after accepting the ride. But, they have never demanded excess fare, a sight common in India.

The App:
The Ola app is quite user friendly.The app allows users to book taxis with ease. Like mentioned above, it is quite user friendly. This allows old aged people who are trying hard to adapt to modern technology to easily book a cab for themselves. The app also has a detailed section which allows the users to know the taxi fares. Users can also share their location with another while in the taxi. This not only maintains the security of an individual, but it also lets the other person know when their friend is reaching a particular place.

Uber:

uberGO (Base fare Rs. 30 + Rs.1/ min + Rs. 7/km. Min fare: Rs. 50, Cancellation Fare: Rs.50)
uberX (Base fare Rs. 40 + Rs.1/ min + Rs. 8/km. Min fare: Rs. 75, Cancellation Fare: Rs. 75)
uberBLACK and uberSUV (Base fare Rs. 100 + Rs.2/ min + Rs. 17/km. Min fare: Rs. 150, Cancellation Fare: Rs. 150)

uberGo, is the equivalent to Ola Mini.
uberX is the equivalent to the Ola Sedan
uberBLACK and uberSUV are big cars, which can seat 7 people or even larger. They are considerably more expensive. Only if a group of people want to travel together in one car and are not willing to travel in two separate cars this type of car is useful. This is because, it is cheaper to book two uberXs than one uberBLACK or uberSUV.

The App:
The app is again very user friendly. The difference between the two apps are negligible.

Certain Similarities:
Considering that both these companies are mobile based taxi aggregators, they are bound to be major similarities. One similarity in both apps, that I personally think is very useful, is the 'Share Ride' option that allows its users to share a ride with their colleagues, friends etc. This will then result in the riders to share the cost of the ride in a hassle free manner.

Conclusion:

Both the apps are very well programmed.
The drivers are more or less courteous.
The fares are not too high and are affordable.
Ola has an added option of hiring Autos which Uber doesn't have.
Ola's rates remain more or less constant and the surcharge during peak time traffic isn't high.
Uber's rate at face value appear cheaper than Ola, but surcharge rates are applied almost throughout the day. This makes the ride more expensive.
Uber allows you to avail their services only after confirming your identity by using your credit card.
Uber's SUV & BLACK option isn't really helpful as mentioned previously.

As you might have guessed, the answer to my original question is:
Ola is a better taxi aggregator than Uber due to the reasons mentioned above.
In terms of star rating, I will rate Ola 4.5/5 and Uber 3.5/5
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Ola, nor Uber have paid me to write a review that benefits one of the companies. This review is based on personal views of the author and doesn't mean to offend any company. The review was written and judged in Bangalore, India and the quality of drivers/ service may differ in different parts of India. Any part of this review cannot be copied and published without the consent of the author.
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Reviews With Rao. All Rights Reserved

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