Ola Foundation, the social welfare arm of the ride-hailing service provider, has come out with a report detailing the impact its 'Drive The Driver' fund has created in India. The special fund was created to help its driver-partners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company says that so far it has helped 55,918 families, enabled 9.3 million meals and has aided 843 medical emergencies across 25 cities. The Drive The Driver fund was launched in March 2020 and helped the driver community and their families with contributions from the Ola Group, its employees, its management team, investors, as well as crowdfunding from citizens and other institutions.
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The Drive The Driver fund was launched in March 2020 and so far, the company has provided 9.3 million meals across India
Talking about the initiative, Anand Subramanian, Spokesperson, Ola shared, "Since the launch of the fund, we have witnessed unbelievable support from within our ecosystem and from citizens and consumers. We are extremely grateful and thankful for these contributions that have enabled all the impact so far. We also want to express our gratitude to the local authorities, various state governments, and the central government for guiding us and enabling our efforts throughout. We will continue to serve and support driver communities through the 'Drive The Driver' fund as we help them and their families through their various challenges in these trying times."
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Ola says that on any given day, there were between 60-70 people on the ground distributing essential kits
Ola foundation says that the intention behind creating the fund was to provide short term and long-term assistance to the driver-community as they continue to recover from the economic impact of the crisis. Each city was divided into 'clusters' based on the number of drivers residing within each area, and drivers in need were contacted through various channels such as IVR, telecalling, and requests that come in through our social media platforms, among others.
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Ola Foundation also helped its driver-partners with financial assistance for medical emergencies
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Having mapped out everything, a safe and hygienic distribution network was created to deliver the ration kits to the needy. Even during distribution, Ola says that its staff members like delivery personnel and drivers followed strict safety guidelines. Ola says that on any given day, there were between 60-70 people on the ground distributing essential kits across the country and over 200 people managing requests. Additionally, Ola Foundation also helped its driver-partners with financial assistance for any medical emergencies faced during the lockdown period.
