BENGALURU: Ola, Indian mobile app for transportation, launched a global first in Bengaluru today. The cab aggregator announced the immediate availability of 'Ola Play' for its 'Ola Select' customers in the National Capital Region, Mumbai and Bengaluru to be followed by a national rollout by March 2017 in 50,000 vehicles across all the cities in India that Ola operates in. Ola Play services will be offered without any additional cost over and above the cab ride cost informed Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, 'Use what you want'.

Besides offering the highly personalised experience for users during their rides, Ola Play allows various partners like Apple Music, Sony LIV, Audio Compass and Fynd to build experiences for users. And yes, one can control the air-conditioning and the radio with Ola Play.

Aggarwal said, “I believe that this will completely transform the consumer’s ride experience, giving the user the power to control the interactions within the car and usher in a new era in the ridesharing industry. With over 60 million (6 crore) minutes spent in Ola rides every day, the impact on consumer comfort, convenience and productivity can be transformative. This will further propel ridesharing as the first choice of mobility for many more millions. Ola Play is a world first, built in India by an Indian team, which showcases that we can do better than the best in the world and be global leaders in technology and innovation.”

Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited EVP and Head – Digital New Media Uday Sodhi said, “With Ola Play, we are offering unique content that is tailored to the needs and preferences of viewers on the move. As a brand Sony LIV is the first premium video on demand (VOD) service providing multi-screen experience to users on all devices; and is the first amongst the competition to provide exclusive premium content. Our with Ola Play association will allow us to further customise popular shows, movies and more, for Indians to consume in a highly engaged way, while on the move.”

Ola Play is a connected car platform for ride sharing that Ola says will transform the in-car experience for users on the go. The platform, built in partnership with Qualcomm is powered by proprietary in-cloud technologies from Ola, by bringing advance car controls, choice of personalised content and a fully connected interactive experience for the user. Ola Play transfers the control of the in-car experience to users from the Driver Console, which enables seamless interfacing with the consumer’s device once the ride begins. Ola Play can be accessed by the consumers own device or the large scree mounted in-car along with the car’s surround sound system.