Ola to acquire Ridlr, focus of digitising public transport

Cab aggregator Ola, which is on an expansion spree, has announced the acquisition of Mumbai-based Ridlr, an end-to-end public transport ticketing and commuting app.

The acquisition is aimed at integrating Ola's mobility platform with public transportation infrastructure. The aggregator hopes that the integration of Ridlr will bring new opportunities for users to serve their mobility needs.

Established in 2012, Ridlr enables users to search and book public transport options on their mobile phones. With this acquisition, Ola hopes to bring new technology and mobility options as it works to expand into and partner with cities in India and abroad.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Ola said, "Public transportation serves millions of Indians every day, and powering these needs with real-time information, mobile ticketing, cashless payments, and reliable services is bound to impact their end experience. The challenge really is to make the entire ecosystem inclusive and robust for all."

With this acquisition, Ridlr's team of 64 employees will be joining Ola. Ridlr is currently serving commuters in Mumbai and Delhi with partnerships with BEST, Delhi Metro, and Mumbai Metro, along with pilots in several other cities. Brijraj Vaghani, founder of Ridlr will continue to lead its operations.

Earlier, Ola had acquired Foodpanda in December 2017, before venturing into Australia. Last week, it was reported that Ola is in merger talks with Uber India, facilitated by SoftBank, that has a stake in both the companies.