You may soon be able to rent an Ola e-scooter
What's the story
Ola Electric's CEO Bhavish Aggarwal recently shared his thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) about launching a rental service for its S1 electric scooters in tourist cities across India. He asked for suggestions on where this service would be most useful and even offered an Ola S1X+ to the person with the best comment. Although still in the early stages, this idea could make Ola's electric scooters more accessible and affordable for the public.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the Twitter post
Thinking of building a rental service for our S1 products in tourist cities. Any comments where all in India you would use? Any other suggestions?
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) December 29, 2023
Best comment gets an Ola S1X+ 🙂🛵!
Inspiration
Royal Enfield's rental business model as potential blueprint
Earlier this year, Royal Enfield became the first two-wheeler manufacturer to officially enter the rental business. The Chennai-based company introduced its rental program in 25 Indian cities through over 40 motorcycle rental operators, offering more than 300 bikes. Ola Electric might look into Royal Enfield's business model to gauge the feasibility of joining the rental market, which currently has few players and minimal involvement from major companies.
Timeline
Seamless integration, potential timeline for Ola's rental service
If the idea proves viable, Ola Electric could incorporate the two-wheeler rental service into its mobile app, making it easy for users to rent e-scooters for a few hours or even several days. Renting two-wheelers is especially popular in tourist hotspots like Goa, Puducherry, and Manali. With Aggarwal's tweet generating interest in this potential venture, Ola might announce its entry into the rental business as early as next year.