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How did OLA get their first few drivers? How did it Begin? You have to imagine it like this, a 24 y/o, just passed out of IIT Bombay, worked for Microsoft for two years, in a cubical, then? he started thinking about a cab aggregator service. Understandably, there were many issues he needed to solve for: 1. How to generate demand organically? 2. How to retain drivers? 3. How to keep them in a check, where the methods not being intrusive or rigid and also incentivizes them? To retain their drivers, Ola employed various new strategies for its time. One key tactic was to offer competitive commissions to drivers, ensuring they earned a decent income from each ride. Additionally, Ola provided incentives such as bonuses for high-quality service, referrals, and peak-hour driving. These incentives encouraged drivers to maintain high service standards and continue working with Ola You’ve to spend to retain— That is EXACTLY what they did; Ola invested in driver support services, such as insurance and financial assistance, to help drivers manage the risks and challenges associated with their work. This comprehensive support system helped Ola build strong relationships with its drivers, leading to higher retention rates and a more stable driver base. Well, it took some time to figure out, it was the sole model that revolutionised the taxi-cab industry organised up until Namma Yatri’s recent subscription come in early 2024. In the beginning whenever you ask Bhavish, as to how does he keep the services in check and the quality up-to mark? His answer, every time would be, “cohort analysis”, by which he had started keeping an SOP for set of drivers, each different according to each city/town/village or State. This had made their ratings/rewards and audits for their cars way easier.