To tackle India’s mobility issues, Ola Mobility Institute has been launched

Ola car on street in Agra, India

Ola has announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind policy research and social innovation unit – Ola Mobility Institute.

Set up to develop knowledge frameworks that will focus on the intersection of mobility and public good, the institute will leverage the ‘disruptive’ potential of mobility as a growth and innovation engine for India’s economy.

“Mobility touches everyone, every day, everywhere in the world. The revolution in this sector promises to improve the lives of citizens, create significant employment and livelihood opportunities and dramatically reduce congestion and pollution in cities. Every kilometre driven in a shared vehicle contributes to this and the Ola Mobility Institute will work to ensure innovations continue to have a positive impact,” said Anand Shah, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Ola.

The institute includes an initial team of researchers, academics and policy specialists trained around the world, including the Indian Institutes of Technology, Harvard University, Oxford University, King’s College London, the School of Planning and Architecture, the California Institute of Technology and the Indian School of Business. 

By recruiting a global advisory board, the organisation will add a dozen mobility experts to its team over the next year.

The unit will initially focus on knowledge frameworks to better understand the social and economic impact around five centres of excellence: Mobility-as-a-Service, the climate footprint of mobility innovations, skill development and job creation, transportation-oriented urban planning, and the digitisation of mobility.

‘Mission: Electric’ is another scheme that was launched early in 2018, organising mobility providers and leveraging fleets to make electric mobility viable at scale. As a part of this programme, Ola committed to putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road within three years. The institute is encouraging fleet owners and operators who deliver a disproportionate number of kilometres travelled to reduce the impact of mobility on the environment.

The scheme is also working with global institutions to develop a framework that can assess mobility in cities across India and other markets, developing tools that can help cities ease the burden of mobility on citizens. A report on this research will be published in October 2018.