Olacabs launches Android Mobile App for real time cab hiring!

Olacabs, one of the leading aggregators of car rentals and point-to-point cab services, has launched a mobile app that will allow users to book and monitor cabs in real-time on their smart phones. This is a much needed app, especially for frequent road travelers in India.

Currently the Olacabs app is available on Android platform and will soon be available on iPhone as well as Blackberry version.

We tried downloading Olacabs Android App on our LG Optimus Black mobile phone, but it did not show up when we searched on Google Play store. We tried installing it from Desktop play store, however it gave us the message that this android app is not compatible with IDEA LGE LG-P970, which is really quite strange…

Although, we could not review the app first hand, here are some features of the Olacabs Android App as per the press release sent to us:

With Olacabs application, travelers can view and book the cabs in their vicinity and track its movement towards them with a one-touch interface on their smart phones. It also provides users instantaneous confirmation of booking along with necessary details like the name of the cab driver and vehicle number, distance from the user’s location as well as expected time taken to reach the location.

Olacabs is completely integrated with maps which helps the traveler to track the real time movement of the cab from its current location to the location of the customer.

Registered have facility to maintain a credit balance with Olacabs and use the service through the app as and when needed, without having to pay for the trip.

The application directly addresses the on-the-ground uncertainties that most taxi-users face in India. It is also a boon for out of town visitors looking for a safe and assured trip to their destinations. By providing direct interface between the customer and the cab, this app eliminates the ambiguity of not knowing where the cab is, or how long the driver will take to reach the destination and provides greater control and real time information at the customer’s disposal.

With the built in GPS system and location sharing, the app also ensures that a customer does not waste valuable time speaking to the customer care or the driver multiple times to provide directions. The driver reaches the pick-up point on his own.

This app also provides a boost to the business for cab drivers as they are able to get customers faster through efficient management of taxi time due to technologies like GPS, constant traffic alerts and real-time demand estimation.

Incidentally, operations inside the car are managed through an android phone that acts as an in-car navigation device and fare meter.

If the App does what it says, I am sure it will be quite popular with Indian travelers – It really takes the hassle out of intra-city travel.

Like I mentioned, we could not install the app on our Android phone and it may be possible that many other also may have issues with downloading it. Olacabs should look into it to see what the problem is…

If you are a Android mobile user, download this app and give it a spin – Let us know how you find it…