Ola to drive people with disabilities to polling booths in Karnataka for free

Bengaluru: Cab aggregator Ola said on Wednesday that it would drive people with disabilities to the polling booths in Karnataka for free, in association with the Election authorities.

The company said it has partnered with the office of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer and others, including the civic bodies in various cities in this regard.

As a part of the free service, Ola has assigned 270 cabs to the election commission which will be made available to ferry disabled voters to polling booths, a press release on Wednesday read.

This free ride facility would be across Bengaluru, Mysuru, and Mangaluru on April 18 and Ballari, Hubali-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum on April 23, the release said.

 “We are grateful to Ola and appreciate their efforts in enabling seamless transportation so that every citizen can go out and vote, Surya Sen A V., Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said.

Ola Regional Head (South) Vishnu Bommareddy said availability of convenient transport options had resulted in positive voter turnout in recent past and the company would continue to back initiatives that support the constitutional machinery of the country.

"We are glad to partner with the local authorities and facilitate hassle-free mobility for every voter in Bengaluru,” he added.