Homegrown ridesharing company Ola has integrated its in-app emergency button with the Bengaluru Police's Suraksha app. This new feature allows customers to call cops directly from the Ola app.

"Bengaluru City Police now offers great convenience and ensures the citizens of Bengaluru a secure ride-hailing experience by integrating Suraksha app with Ola application," says Bhaskar Rao, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City.

Arun Srinivas, COO at Ola, said, "We are grateful to the Bengaluru Police City police for collaborating with us and supporting our cause to enable safer rides."

Additionally, the cops will also have real-time access to customer's information like name, address, emergency contact details and GPS coordinates, and driver details like contact number, vehicle number and model, along with the cab's GPS coordinates, enabling quicker response time. "The travellers can now reach for police help by simply pressing the Emergency Button provided in the Ola application," adds Rao.

Earlier, Ola had forged a similar association with Hyderabad Police and is now exploring partnerships with authorities across India.

How does it work?

In case of an emergency, customer can tap the 'emergency button' on the top right corner of Ola app.

Once the emergency mode is activated, an option to choose to speak to the police directly will appear on the screen. One can call cops directly by tapping on 'Call Police' button.

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