Ola, in many ways, has been a pioneering force in the Indian tech and startup scene. The Bhavish Aggarwal-led company has shown a maverick spirit, just like its executive.
However, in the recent past, since Ola Electric's listing at the equity markets, the company, and particularly its electric scooter business, has been hit by a wave of bad PR, as it has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.
No Fireworks In Delhi
A tech journalist, Abhishek Baxi, took to X to make a sardonic comment on the vehicles from the Bengaluru-based company.
Baxi, while quoting a post from Ola on X, in which Ola said, "This Dussehra, we’re delivering happiness across India!". In his post, Baxi brought his sarcastic best and said, "Please don't deliver to Delhi NCR as hon'ble Supreme Court has banned fireworks."
This was in reference to Ola scooters having technical glitches, with many users often raising concerns over the safety of these vehicles.
Ola's Glitches
In addition to that, recently, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a show-cause notice to the EV company. This came to pass after the agency was alarmed by the growing customer complaints against Ola Electric and poor conditions at its service centres across the country.
Apart from that, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) was instructed by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) to submit comprehensive feedback on customer grievances against Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola Electric. This came to pass as the Bengaluru-based tech company is a recipient of the central government's FAME II and PM E-DRIVE schemes.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a show-cause notice to the EV company. | Ola S1 X (This is a Representative Image)
A PR debacle emerged when Aggarwal got into an online altercation with comedian Kunal Kamra over the safety of scooters in one of the Ola facilities, where the scooters were kept aside for repair-related work.
This altercation spiralled into a drawn-out online brawl between the two, that lasted over two days. This was also the time when company shares tanked at the equity markets.
The Ola Electric shares were trading with a deficit of 2.77 per cent or Rs 2.50 in the intraday trading session on Monday, October 14.
