Ola initiates campaign to reduce carbon emissions in metro cities

New Delhi : Taxi aggregator Ola announced introduction of first-of-its kind “#DoYourShare” campaign that has taken shared mobility to a new level.

Ola plans to install a unique ‘Billboard’ at prominent junctions in the three cities to display and track carbon emission levels saved in real-time by commuters using ‘Ola Share’ rides in the respective cities.

The campaign will encourage citizens to adopt shared mobility and help reduce negative impact on the environment, by helping reduce carbon emissions in the city. The initiative goes live from the first week of August, across three Indian cities: Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

The entire campaign has been gamified for the three cities to compete against each other to achieve a set target of reduction in carbon emissions during this period. The ‘Billboard’ and live digital counters on social media will track the carbon emission levels real-time and act as a reference point for commuters to ‘do their share’ towards building a green, sustainable and congestion-free city.

This initiative by Ola is powered by ‘The World Resource Institute’ (WRI), a global research organisation working towards creating a low carbon economy. Together with WRI’s expertise and the support of millions of users, Ola aims at reducing carbon emission by 1200 tonnes – 400 tonnes respectively in each city – Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, contributing to 1200 tonnes of emissions reduced nationally in the fortnight.

“Shared mobility is the new paradigm for sustainable transportation. With Ola’s ‘#DoYourShare’ campaign, our goal is to help cities reduce on-road congestion and unhealthy traffic jams, by encouraging more and more commuters to opt for Ola Share. It will be interesting to see the three cities race for clean air, as their citizens compete to contribute towards reduced emissions, responsibly,” said Head of Categories and CMO at Ola, Raghuvesh Sarup.

“We intend to take this campaign to other cities as well and relentlessly work towards building sustainable mobility solutions for the country, as we advance on our mission of building mobility for a billion Indians,” he added.

“Initiatives promoting sustainable transportation, such as Ola’s ride-sharing offering have the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint on the environment. While gaps have existed in measuring the impact – internationally consistent and locally relevant approaches being adopted by major players, would help in better planning and engagement in this space,” said Head Business Engagement at WRI India, Vivek P Adhia.

“We believe the proliferation of such initiatives would help support ambitious climate action at the ground level and play a key role in accelerating progress towards India’s national commitments on 33 to 35% intensity reductions made at Paris COP21 last year,” added Adhia.

ANI