Ola to now enable UPI transactions within app

Ola will now offer riders the option to pay their cab drivers directly through UPI from within the app, Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said on X.

The driver app will have the option to display a QR code, which customers can scan and make UPI transactions without having to open third-party payment apps like Google Pay or Paytm.

Ola will first roll out the feature in Bengaluru by the end of next week, and nationally by the end of December, Aggarwal said on X.

The option to pay via UPI directly on the app could be a way for the company to eliminate pending payments by reducing the number of steps required to complete a transaction, including leaving the app and switching to another one.

Ola and its competitor, Uber, in recent times, have been plagued by requests from drivers for offline rides.

Customers typically use the apps to find rides, and then coerce customers to cancel them and pay them directly. In self-reported incidents on X, it seems that while some drivers ask for Rs 100-200 more, especially during peak times, others stick to the pricing on the app, with the caveat that customers pay them upfront.

Uber has warned customers against agreeing to offline rides, saying they lose access to essential in-app safety features and company customer support.