Ola signs MoU with Maharashtra govt. to skill 100,000 youth across the state

Partnership to bring more skilled professionals in Maharashtra’s transportation sector
Mumbai, March 21, 2016: Ola, India’s leading mobile app for transportation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Maharashtra, to develop and create quality opportunities for entrepreneurship for youth of the state, including women.

The MoU between Ola and the Maharashtra Government was signed in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis and aims to skill over 100,000 youth as independent driver-entrepreneurs over the next five years.

Under this initiative, Ola will be working with the Maharashtra Government to expand its network of driver owned cabs across multiple categories like Micro, Mini, Prime etc. as well as to Black and Yellow taxis (Kaali-Peelis) and Autorickshaws in the state, by giving improved access to training, technology and revenue for aspiring driver-partners.

Ola’s Shared Mobility offerings across Ola Share, Ola Shuttle and the recently piloted Ola Bike, are also some major initiatives that Ola will strengthen with skilled talent coming onboard with this partnership.

In addition to this, the Government will work with Ola towards making concerted efforts in providing the right training infrastructure and technology framework to make a meaningful difference in the current employment scenario.

Speaking on this occasion, Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis said, “Maharashtra is one of the biggest state economies of India and is strongly powering the country’s economical and financial growth. Deploying the right skilling and training methodologies to create employability and entrepreneurial opportunities will further drive development to the next level. I am confident about our partnership with Ola resulting in the creation of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs, accelerating our target of skilling 4.5 crore people by 2022.”

Pranay Jivrajka, Chief Operating Officer at Ola said, “We are proud to partner with the State of Maharashtra to provide skilling and entrepreneurial opportunities to 100,000 youth over the next five years. As India’s most preferred mobility platform, we are committed to building a favorable ecosystem that will enable skilled professionals who can further transform into driver-entrepreneurs. The Government's focus on development and skilling is very encouraging and we are thrilled about this partnership to help thousands of youth in the state grow as entrepreneurs and advance our mission of enabling mobility for a billion Indians.”

Ever since its launch in 2011, Ola has redefined mobility and transformed the way people commute in the state. With presence across nine cities in Maharashtra viz., Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Amravati, Solapur and Ahmednagar, Ola compliments the existing transport infrastructure with a range of innovative mobility solutions.