Ola partners with PhonePe to expand payment options for riders

Ride-hailing platform Ola on Tuesday said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Flipkart-owned PhonePe to allow users to pay for rides using PhonePe within the Ola app.

"Millions of Ola customers across the country can now pay for their ride using PhonePe. This move echoes Ola's commitment to continuously introduce convenient, reliable and innovative solutions to ease the mobility experience while being fully aligned with PhonePe's goal of making payments easy, secure and accessible to all," according to a statement.

The feature is currently rolled out on Android and will soon be available on iOS, it added.

The partnership will allow customers to use all of PhonePe's payment instruments, including the PhonePe wallet, to make payments, in addition to UPI, it said.

"As we navigate through the coronavirus pandemic, we have noticed a significant increase in the adoption of digital payment solutions. With commute being one of the largest spend categories for customers, we wanted to encourage this shift through value-added services to ensure them superlative as well as safe mobility experiences," an Ola spokesperson said.

Ankit Gaur, director (business development) at PhonePe, said facilitating safe contactless payments is of paramount importance during these tough times.

This partnership will be a key enabler to drive India's digital payment ecosystem, he added.