In a welcome move for railway passengers, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with the cab-hailing company, Ola to provide door-to-door transportation service to Indian Railways passengers.
What is the plan?
It is a 6-month pilot project that will enable railway passengers to book an Ola cab on the IRCTC Rail connect app and website. Commuters can now book cabs up to 7 days in advance or even after arriving at the railway station.
The entire variety of Ola Cabs – Micro, Mini, Prime Sedan, Prime Play, Auto, and Share – will be available for booking at the “same price available directly on the IRCTC Rail Connect App and website”. Indian Railways commuters can also book cabs at IRCTC outlets or Ola’s self-serving kiosks, besides using the app or logging into the website.
Steps to book a cab
To book an Ola cab through IRCTC app or website, railway commuters have to log on to the IRCTC website or IRCTC Rail Connect app using credentials. After clicking on the services section, one should select the ‘Book a Cab’ option.
After selecting the preferred cab option, the booking will be confirmed. IRCTC feels that this partnership with Ola will enable them to provide last-mile connectivity to commuters.
IRCTC working towards digitalization
According to IRCTC, from railway tickets and train meals to air tickets and tourism packages and now cabs – people will have multiple reasons to use the website and app when planning travel. The IRCTC website now allows passengers to book not just railway tickets but also train meals, tourism packages, and even flight tickets. This would make the website more user-friendly.
In an attempt to promote digital transactions, Indian Railways decided not to levy MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) charges on railway tickets which are paid for through debit cards.This relief measure is applicable to commuters for transactions above Rs 1 lakh and applies for both counter tickets and tickets booked through the IRCTC website.
A spokesperson for the IRCTC said,
“The ease of travel of our commuters is of prime importance to us and we believe that this association will help in delivering unparalleled convenience to the users on our platform, fostering and strengthening the culture of Digital India.”
Also Read: Ola and Uber Drivers are Going on Strikes to Protest against Long Working Hours, Income Drop!
 has tied up with the cab-hailing company, Ola to provide door-to-door transportation service to Indian Railways passengers.){kind=link}