Ola ties up with Andhra Pradesh Tourism, looks to introduce EVs

The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has tied up with cab aggregator Ola for transportation services (inter-city and intra-city services) and further promote tourism and mobility ecosystem in the state.

The new capital of the state – Amaravati – is the centre of focus for the Andhra Pradesh government to develop it as a world-class city. Pushing it as a new investment destination,  the state government is looking to improve connectivity as well as tourism.

Ola aims to create 25,000 job opportunities in the state, encouraging entrepreneurship and sustainable income for the youth over the next five years. The company looks to provide a wider reach and a better experience to tourists and residents by foraying into new cities from existing six (Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, and Nellore) by the year 2022.

The agreement was signed and the first batch of exclusively co-branded Ola and Andhra Pradesh Tourism cars were flagged off by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, tourism secretary Mukesh Kumar Meena, CEO, APTA and MD, APTDC. Himanshu Shukla, IAS, along with Pranay Jivrajka, founding partner, Ola were at the MoU signing ceremony held in Amaravati.

Ola will also promote Andhra Pradesh tourism on its platform, while enhancing tourism experience through various initiatives – fixed fare packages for critical locations, informed driver partners about popular tourist destination, co-creating a comprehensive skill development program for training individuals to become driver partners and providing employment opportunities at nominal costs.

Bullish on EVs
In the coming months, Ola says it will bring an additional set of offerings such as electric vehicles (EV), bikes and buses in the state based on feasibility and regulatory constraints.

Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said, “Our vision is to make Andhra Pradesh, a model state not just for India but for audiences globally. For this, we are betting heavily on technology-based models across sectors. Partnering with companies such as Ola that have added a new dimension to transportation in India is in sync with our vision. Together, we will be able to provide a reliable commute service to tourists and residents, as well as create job and entrepreneurial opportunities for several thousands.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mukesh Kumar Meena, secretary to the government (Tourism & Culture) said, “Streamlining transportation and launching a unique offering for tourists and residents will be of significant benefit. The partnership with India’s most popular platform for ridesharing will also help us train thousands of driver partners become entrepreneurs and play a role in enhancing customer experience.“