PROJECT REPORT

(Submitted for the Degree of B.Com. Honours in Accounting & Finance under
the University of Calcutta)

TITLE OF THE PROJECT

A COMPARISON OF PREFERENCES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES
BETWEEN OLA AND UBER
(A CASE STUDY BASED ON SELECTED COLLEGES AND OFFICES IN KOLKATA)

SUBMITTED BY:

NAME OF THE CANDIDATE : SURAJ KUMAR

REGISTRATION NUMBER : 224-1111-1152-17

COLLEGE ROLL NUMBER : 141

NAME OF THE COLLEGE : SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIA COLLEGE

SUPERVISED BY:

NAME OF THE SUPERVISOR : SANTANU MALLIK

NAME OF THE COLLEGE : SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIA COLLEGE

MONTH AND YEAR OF SUBMISSION:

SEPTEMBER, 2020

1
Annexure- IA

Supervisor’s Certificate
This is to certify that Mr. SURAJ KUMAR, a student of B.Com. Honours in
Accounting & Finance of SETH ANANDRAM JAIPURIA COLLEGE under the
University of Calcutta has worked under my supervision and guidance for his
Project Work and prepared a Project
Report with the title “A COMPARISON OF PREFERENCES OF COLLEGE
STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES BETWEEN OLA AND UBER : A CASE STUDY
BASED ON SELECTED COLLEGES AND OFFICES IN KOLKATA” which he is
submitting, is his genuine and original work to the best of my knowledge.

PLACE: KOLKATA
DATE :
(Signature)
SETH ANANDRAM
JAIPURIA COLLEGE

2
Annexure- IB

Student’s Declaration
I hereby declare that the Project Work with the title “A COMPARISON OF
PREFERENCES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES BETWEEN OLA AND
UBER : A CASE STUDY BASED ON SELECTED COLLEGES AND OFFICES IN
KOLKATA” submitted by me for the partial fulfillment of the degree of B.Com.
Honours in Accounting & Finance under the University of Calcutta is my original work
and has not been submitted earlier to any other University/Institution for fulfillment
of the requirement for any course of study.

I also declare that no chapter of this manuscript in whole or in part has been
incorporated in this report from any earlier work done by others or by me. However,
extracts of any literature which has been used for this report has been duly
acknowledged providing details of such literature in the references.

PLACE: KOLKATA
DATE :
(Signature)
SURAJ KUMAR

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would take this opportunity to acknowledge all the people who have aided me in
the completion of this project report. Firstly I would like to thank my supervisor for
his support pin pointing the errors and suggesting necessary measures to debug
them. I would also use this platform to express my deep regards for my family who
have provided me with all the necessary tools & resources for the completion of
this report.

Further I would also express my love to my friends for their kind support and
suggestions which also proved to be valuable. Lastly I am also thankful to those
seen and unseen hands & heads which have been of direct or indirect help in the
completion of the project report.

4
 Table of Contents

Chapter Title Page

No. No
Chapter1 Introduction 6-10
1.1 Background Of The Study 6-7
1.2 Literature review 8
1.3 Need of the study 8
1.4 Objectives 9
1.5 Data Source and Methodology 9
1.6 Limitations of the Study 10
1.7 Chapter Planning 10
Chapter 11-
2 14
2.1 Need for app-based cabs 10-11
2.2 National scenario 12
2.3 International scenario 13-14
Chapter 15-
3 43
3.1 Data Presentation And Analysis 15-41
3.2 Findings 42-43
Chapter Conclusion & Recommendations 44-
4 46
4 .1 Conclusions 44 - 45
4.2 Recommendation 46
Bibliography 47
Annexure II 48-56

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 CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

With cultural shift to westernization, India has adopted many modern trends and technological improvements.
Public transport remains the primary mode of transport for most Indian citizens, and India's public transport
systems are among the most heavily used in the
world.

Motor vehicle population in India is low as per international standards,

with only 24.85 million cars on the nation's roads as per 2013 records.
In total, about 21 percent of households have two wheelers whereas
only 4.7 percent of households in India have cars/jeeps/vans as per the
2011 Census. The automobile industry in India is currently rapidly
growing with an annual production of over
million vehicles, with an annual growth rate of 10.5%
and vehicle volume is expected to rise greatly in the
future.

Society has learned to circumvent realities of urban transportation like

clogged roads, outrageous car maintenance charges and steep parking
tickets by hailing the online taxi revolution. Ola and Uber have
stood out amongst its competitors to become the leaders of the online taxi service in India. Each company is
application based and has its own set of specialties, uniqueness and services. Consumers have their own
preferences and requirements when it comes to application based cab booking services and find almost all their
needs catered to with Ola and Uber. There have been no studies on the preferences of college students and
office going employees between Ola and Uber, hence this study has been conducted.

6
OLA:

India seems to be going through a probable “Taxi” revolution. Every other day, there is a new start up offering
efficient and economical cab service to the citizens operating urban and rural lifestyles. Travelling within the
city has always been a curse for many individuals, especially for those living in crowded cities like Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, etc. Ola Cabs is a taxi service that was started in
2010 in Mumbai to solve the city’s transport setback. ANI
Technologies Pvt. Ltd., functioning under the trade name Ola, is an
Indian online transportation network company. Founded as an
online cab aggregator in Mumbai, Ola is now based in Bangalore.
As of September 2015, it was valued at $5 billion. Ola cabs has
completely revolutionized the way India travels, and is favorite
with almost everyone, given its convenience, efficiency and how it allowed us to save the daily arguments and
haggling with the auto and cab drivers who refuse to go by the meter. Founded on 3rd December 2010 by
Bhavish Aggarwal (currently CEO) and Ankit Bhati, Ola, as of 2014, had expanded to a network of more than
200,000 cars across 100 cities. In November 2014, it expanded to incorporate autos on-trial basis in Bangalore.
Post the trial phase, Ola Auto has expanded to other cities as well like Delhi, Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad and
Kolkata starting December 2014 while in December 2015, Ola expanded its auto services in Chandigarh,
Indore, Jaipur and Guwahati, Visakhapatnam.

UBER:
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Uber Technologies Inc. is an American worldwide online
transportation network company. Founded as UberCab by Garrett Camp, the founder of StumbleUpon, and
Travis Kalanick in 2009, it develops, markets and operates the Uber
application, allowing consumers with smartphones to submit a trip
request, which the software program automatically sends to the Uber
driver nearest to the consumer, alerting the driver to the location of the
customer. As of August 2016, Uber provided its cab services in over
66 countries and 545 cities worldwide. The Uber application
automatically calculates the fare and transfers the payment to the driver.
Since its launch, many other companies have replicated Uber’s
business model, a trend that has come to be referred as "Uberification". The legality of Uber has been
challenged by the government and other taxi companies, who allege that it hires drivers who are not licensed to
drive cabs which is unsafe and illegal. Also, some taxi driver unions have called Uber drivers "pirate taxis".
However it is now common for taxi drivers to as well to work for Uber; especially during "surge" periods when
they have high chances of earning multiple times what they would have under the taxi umbrella. The company
received $200,000 in seed funding in 2009. In additional funding, Uber raised $1.25 million in 2010. Following
a beta launch in summer of 2010, Uber's services and mobile application officially launched in San Francisco in
the year 2011. Initially, Ryan Graves was appointed as CEO, however, Kalanick replaced him in the role later
that year and Graves stepped down to become the company's COO. By the end of 2011, Uber had raised $44.5
million in funding and in the same year, the company changed its name from UberCab to Uber.

7
NEED OF THE STUDY:

The said topic has been chosen due to fairly practical reasons. College students and employees are frequent
travelers. They need to travel a lot to reach their colleges/tuitions/offices/meetings on time. It is common
knowledge that in Kolkata, most cabs refuse service. Buses are hectic and inconvenient. Due to such reasons,
the youth of Kolkata is shifting to app based services like that of Ola and Uber for the sake of speed,
convenience and comfort. The purpose of this study was to examine the preferences of college students and
office employees on various aspects of the services of Ola and Uber and also on their overall take on
application based cab booking services.

LITERATURE REVIEW:

According to UNFPA by 2030 more than 80% of world population will be living in urban areas. This means
more number of people would be moving from one place to another and there will be an increase in demand for
vehicles and more efficiency in the transportation system. Trains, buses, trams and metros are the common
modes of transport opted by the general public. But all these modes are inflexible, have long travel time and
lack service coverage. During extreme weather conditions or rush hours, most of these modes of transport
become crowded, charge more fees and many a times do not wish to provide service. At such times, app based
cab services become very useful.

Cost effective, well planned and efficient transportation system hold key to meet the demands of public. All
these shortcomings of public transport are overcome by the taxi-cab sector. Taxi’s are more convenient, fast,
provide door-to-door service, are more comfortable, does not require parking fee and helps to maintain privacy.
According to Moore and Balaker, taxis hold an important position for mobility in the transportation network of
a city. Since taxis are more exclusive than other transportation services, they should be offering more than the
other modes of transport. Cab services are very important for senior citizens, housewives, people who are sick,
physically challenged people and those who are in an emergency. Kolkata, the commercial hub of West Bengal,
has a drawback on intra-city transportation. This drawback has led to the launch of app-based cab booking
services such as Ola and Uber in Kolkata. Kolkata’s population is growing day by day and the people are
looking forward for fast modes of transportation within the city. The app-based taxis promise to strictly adhere
to the transport department's fare rules and regulations as well as all safety measures.

8
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The present study titled “A COMPARISON OF PREFERENCES OF COLLEGE

STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES BETWEEN OLA AND UBER : A CASE STUDY
BASED ON SELECTED COLLEGES AND
OFFICES IN KOLKATA” set forth the following objectives:

 To study the overall thought process of students and employees regarding app-based
cabs.
 To gain insights as to the needs of students and employees when it comes to app-based
cabs.
 To prepare graphs and analytics which help people choose between Ola and Uber
according to their individual needs.
 To draw conclusive results as to which app-based company stands out between Ola and
Uber.
 To study the differences in app-based cab usage between college studentsand
employees.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Nature of study Descriptive as well-as Analytical in nature

Source of Data Primary as-well-as Secondary
Period of study September, 2019 to January , 2020
Area of study Scottish Church College;
Goenka College of Commerce and Business
Administration; St. Xavier’s College;
South City College;
The Bhawanipur Education Society College;
Price Waterhouse Coopers;
IDFC First
Bank;
Ernst &
Young;
IBM;
Deloitte;
For presenting the data:
BarChartsandPieCharts.
For analyzing the data:
Ratio Analysis;
Descriptive statistics and Other Statistical measurements

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LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

1. Based on biased data This study is mainly based on primary data, henceforth
there is a scope of biasness as correct estimation of data may
not have been possible by the respective subjects.

2. Selected colleges and offices This study is limited toa few

selectedcollegesandofficesin Kolkata.

3. Lack of Finance This study has been performed on small scale because
of lack of finance to carry on an extensive study

CHAPTER PLANNING:

Chapter 1 Introduction Background of the study, Need of the study,

Literature Review, objective of the study, Data
source and methodology, limitations.

Chapter 2 Conceptual Inthischapterweanalyzethe performance of

Framework Ola and Uber in the national as well as in
the international market.
Chapter 3 Presentation and In thiswe analyze datafromvarious sources and make
Analysis of out the findings fromthat analyzed
data data.
Chapter 4 Conclusion, Concluding observations of the findings and
Recommendation and the Suggestionstobeprovided.
Bibliography

10
 CHAPTER 2 : CONCEPTUAL

FRAMEWORK

Urbanization and expansion of cities add great load to the city traffic. As large numbers of
people try to find a comfortable mode of transport, numerous minds work to provide the service
and drive a business. The introduction of app based cab services and radio taxis is primarily a
new concept in the Indian context. The success of such services in the metropolitan cities of
India has lured the companies to start their operation in the major cities of the country and are
slowly heading towards the urban and semi urban areas. The facilities and tariff rates provided
by these companies are unmatched. The impatient generation of today, wish to get everything in
their fingertips and these companies have provided them with just that. Now, people can book a
taxi from a mobile and avail the service of transportation within minutes.
The physical, laborious and time consuming job of a taxi hunt is eliminated with a search
algorithm in the servers of these cab companies. The study on consumers’ perspective on the cab
services in Kolkata gives us a glimpse of the viewpoint of people towards the facilities provided
by such companies.

Ever since Ola and Uber came into action in India, they have been in a head on competition.
Since their emergence, both of the companies have been closely tracking their competitor's
strategies. One key strategy of Uber regarding charging for fake bookings and delayed
cancellation has levied against Ola in India. A lot of A-list investors such as Softbank, Tiger
Global, DST Global and many others fund Ola. In fact, Didi Kuaidi of China which happens to
be the world's largest app based cab provider, ahead of even Uber in the Chinese market,
happens to be a backer of Ola. Both Ola & Uber have been constantly offering cleaner, reliable
and cheaper services than traditional taxis.

11
NATIONAL SCENARIO:
According to a market and competitive intelligence company, Kalagato, Ola has witnessed a rise
in market share from 53 per cent in July 2017 to 56.2 per cent in December last year.
Meanwhile, Uber market share decreased by about 2.4 per cent from 42 to 39.6 per cent during
the same period.

The survey conducted across 650,000 smartphone users (as claimed by Kalagato) in the country
reveals that about 40 per cent respondents have Ola’s app while Uber’s app found a place in
about 28.7 per cent phones.

Notably, Paytm-backed Jugnoo and Meru have lost the plot with having less than a 3 per cent
market share each in overall ride-
hailing market share.

Besides 3X reach and over 2X network

of driver partners than Uber (it has 4.5
lakh drivers), autorickshaw-hailing
service seems to have helped Ola to
gain more market share with a frequent
use case.

Chandigarh-based Jugnoo fairly had a

good headstart in Delhi (NCR) with
app-based on-demand auto rickshaw
service, however, it couldn’t manage
to keep drivers and riders intact.

The Bhavish Aggarwal-led company, as well as Uber, also run bike-taxi in Delhi (NCR).
The report also indicates that Uber saw over 2 per cent more uninstall rate than the local
rival.

To fight deep-pocketed Uber in India, Ola had raised massive $2 billion from SoftBank and
Tencent in September last year. The Bengaluru-based company has been playing proactive
moves in electric vehicle segment.

Currently, it runs a fleet of electric vehicles in Nagpur and had invested upwards of Rs 50 crore
towards EVs and charging infrastructure in the orange city. Ola is also setting up a dedicated
team to design Ola electric auto fleet (e-rickshaws) across the country.

12
INTERNATIONAL SCENARIO:
UBER:

Founded in 2009, Uber has grown to become a prominent sharing economy services provider;
boasting approximately 41.8 million users in the United States in March 2018. As of February
2018, Uber rideshare drivers accounted for 87.6 percent of the ride-hailing services market in
the United States. In that same year, the average hourly earnings of rideshare drivers in the
United States was 14.74 U.S. dollars for zero to 500 trips.

In 2017, the transportation network company generated 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in net revenue
worldwide. As of July 2017, the leading ridesharing company had received investments
amounting to approximately 11.56
billion U.S. dollars. Uber’s gross
booking volume has seen a year-
on-year increase. In the second
quarter of 2018, Uber
generated gross bookings of 12
billion U.S. dollars worldwide.

Popularity of Uber in the United

States is at an all-time high. During
a survey in May 2018, 76 percent
of the respondents stated that they
were familiar with ridesharing
services provided by Uber. In
general, familiarity of sharing
economy services in the United
States has seen a year-on-year
growth. In 2018, 83 percent of
respondents stated that they were familiar with at least one sharing economy service. Also,
consumers recognize benefits they can accrue from using sharing economy services. During a
survey in 2018, 60 percent of consumers in the United States stated that they recognize
that sharing economy services can be cheaper for users.

13
OLA:
The Indian answer to Uber has racked up the 1.5 million rides since it launched in Perth in
February, and now has 40,000 Australian driver partners on its books.

Three weeks after it launched in Perth, Ola expanded to Sydney, before rolling out in
Melbourne in April, and in Canberra, Gold Coast and Brisbane in May.

In the Australian market, Ola is competing with global ride-sharing veteran Uber and Estonian
company Taxify, which entered Australia last year, as well as Aussie alternatives GoCatch and
DiDi Express, a Chinese
newcomer that launched in
Melbourne.

While it’s expanding its reach in

Australia, Ola also claims to differentiate
itself by charging lower commission
rates for drivers, with a starting rate of
7.5%. It also pays drivers daily. Ola
recently announced its plans to enter the
UK as it obtained licences to operate in
South Wales and Manchester. The move
signals Ola’s aggressive expansion to
fight Uber in overseas markets and set
up base for a large international
business, expected to generate revenues
alongside its Indian operations.

The ride-hailing platform is offering 10% commission rates for private hire vehicle drivers
and 5% for black cabs (taxis). It is the only ride-hailing app in South Wales to offer customers
the option of private hire vehicles and taxis on one user-friendly platform.

Founded in India in 2011, Ola now has more than 1 million driver partners across 110 cities,
globally.

According to Crunchbase, the startup has raised $US3 billion ($4.05 billion) to date, including
$US1.1 billion ($1.49 billion) from investors including Tencent and Softbank in October
last year.

At the time, the startup revealed it was also in talks to raise another $US1 billion ($1.35 billion)
from other investors, which would bring its value to around $US7 million ($9.46 billion).

14
 CHAPTER 3 : DATA PRESENTATION &
ANALYSIS

GRAPH 1: Graphical presentation of respondents from different colleges

Name of College Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Goenka College of Commerce 5 20
and Business
Administration
Scottish Church College 4 16
St. Xavier’s College 8 32

Bhawanipur Education Society 4 16

Heramba Chandra College 4 16

TOTAL 25 100

FIGURE – 3.1

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents that the survey group was distributed on the
basis of colleges as per the study via the questionnaire that was presented to the

15
participants.

16
 GRAPH 2: Graphical presentation of respondents from different pffices

Name of Office Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Ernst & Young 5 20

PricewaterhouseCoopers 6 24
Deloitte 5 20

IBM 5 20

IDFC First Bank 4 16

TOTAL 25 100

FIGURE – 3.2

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents that the survey group was distributed on the
basis of offices as per the study via the questionnaire that was presented to the

16
GRAPH 2: Graphical presentation of respondents from different pffices
participants.

17
 GRAPH 3: Graphical presentation of the genders of the respondents

Gender Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Male 26 52

Female 24 48

TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.3

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents that the survey group was distributed on the
basis of gender as per the study via the questionnaire that was presented to the
participants.

17
 GRAPH 4: Graphical presentation of the age of the respondents

Age Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
19 6 12
20 11 22
21 8 16
22 6 12
23 10 20
24 6 12
25 3 6
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.4

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents that the survey group was distributed on the
basis of age as per the study via the questionnaire that was presented to the participants.

18
 GRAPH 5: Graphical presentation of the category of the respondents

Category Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Student 25 50
Employee 25 50
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.5

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents that the survey group was distributed on the
basis of category as per the study via the questionnaire that was presented to the
participants

19
 GRAPH 6: Graphical presentation of the stream of the respondents

Stream Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Science 13 26
Commerce 34 68
Arts 3 6
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.6

FINDINGS: The above diagram represents the streams of the participants, statistically
being 13% from science background, 6% from arts background and the remaining 68%
being from commerce background.

20
 GRAPH 7: Graphical presentation showing monthly amount spent on transportation

Range of Amount Spent Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
<500 9 18
500-1000 24 48
1000-2000 11 22
>2000 6 12
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.7

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum respondents spend between 500-
1000 a month on transportation followed by 1000-2000 at second place, <500 at third
place and >2000 at last place.

21
GRAPH 8: Graphical presentation showing preferred transportation medium of the respondents

Preferred Transportation Medium Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Train/Metro 22 44
Auto/Taxi 8 16
App-Based Cabs 14 28
Bus 4 8
Personal Vehicle 3 4
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.8

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum respondents prefer train/metro at
44%, 28% prefer app-based cabs, 16% prefer auto/taxi, 8% prefer buses and the
remaining 4% people prefer personal vehicles such as car/bike.

22
 GRAPH 9: Graphical presentation showing frequency of app-based cab usage

Frequency Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Daily 5 10
Weekly 14 28
Few Times a month 20 40
Rarely 11 22
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 3.9

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum respondents use app-based cabs a
few times a month at 40%, 28% use app-based cab services weekly, 22% rarely use these
services whereas 10% use these services daily.

23
GRAPH 10: Graphical presentation showing monthly amount spent on app-based cab services

Amount Range Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
<500 22 44
500-1000 20 40
1000-2000 5 10
>2000 3 6
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.0

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum respondents spend <500 a month
on app-based cab services followed by 500-1000 at second place, 1000- 2000 at third place
and >2000 at last place.

24
GRAPH 11: Graphical presentation showing percentage of respondents who feel
app-based cabs

Felt Unsafe Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Yes 43 86
No 7 14
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.1

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum people feel safe using app- based
cabs at 86% while 14% feel unsafe.

25
GRAPH 12: Graphical presentation showing what the respondents need from app-based
companies

Need Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Frequent Discounts 10 20
Cheaper Fares 27 54
More Area Coverage 8 16
Availability 5 10
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.2

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that maximum people want cheaper fares at 54%,
20% want frequent discounts, 16% want more area coverage whereas 10% want
availability.

26
 GRAPH 13: Graphical presentation showing whether the respondent has left a personal
belonging behind in a cab and later received it on contacting the driver

Answer Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Yes, I received my belonging 9 18
back on contacting the
driver
No, I did not receive my 2 6
belonging back on contacting
the driver
I have never left anything behind 38 76
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.3

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 76% people did not leave anything behind in
a cab, 18% did leave behind a belonging but got it back on contacting the driver and 6%
left something behind but did not get it back on contacting the driver.

27
 GRAPH 14: Graphical presentation of better app usability

Which has better app usability? Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Ola 7 14
Uber 43 86
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.4

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber has better app usability with 86% voting
for Uber whereas 14% have voted for Ola.

28
 GRAPH 15: Graphical presentation of better customer care service

Which has better customer service? Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Ola 9 18
Uber 41 82
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.5

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber has better customer care service with
82% voting for Uber whereas 18% have voted for Ola.

29
 GRAPH 16: Graphical presentation of cheaper rates at peak hours

Which provides cheaper rates at Number of Percentage of

peak hours? Respondents Respondents
Ola 7 14
Uber 43 86
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.6

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber provides cheaper rates at peak hours
with 86% voting for Uber whereas 14% have voted for Ola.

30
 GRAPH 17: Graphical presentation of better trained drivers

Which has better trained drivers? Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Ola 9 18
Uber 41 82
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.7

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber provides has better trained drivers with
82% voting for Uber whereas 18% have voted for Ola.

31
 GRAPH 18: Graphical presentation of cheaper rates

Which do you find cheaper? Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Ola 7 14
Uber 43 86
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.8

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber provides cheaper fares with 86% voting
for Uber whereas 14% have voted for Ola.

32
 GRAPH 19: Graphical presentation of frequent discount coupons provided

Which provides frequent Number of Percentage of

discount Respondents Respondents
coupons/offers?
Ola 20 40
Uber 30 60
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 4.9

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber provides frequent discount coupons
60% voting for Uber whereas 40% have voted for Ola.

33
 GRAPH 20: Graphical presentation of higher geographical coverage

Which has a higher Number of Percentage of

geographical Respondents Respondents
coverage?
Ola 14 28
Uber 36 72
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.0

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber has a higher geographical coverage with
72% voting for Uber whereas 28% have voted for Ola.

34
 GRAPH 21: Graphical presentation of smoother functioning app

Which has a smoother Number of Percentage of

functioning app? Respondents Respondents
Ola 10 20
Uber 40 80
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.1

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber has smoother functioning app with 80%
voting for Uber whereas 20% have voted for Ola.

35
 GRAPH 22: Graphical presentation of cleaner and comfortable cars

Which company according to you Number of Percentage of

has cleaner and comfortable Respondents Respondents
cars?
Ola 13 26
Uber 37 74
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.2

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that Uber has cleaner and comfortable cars with
74% voting for Uber whereas 26% have voted for Ola.

36
 GRAPH 23: Graphical presentation of benefit of introduction of app-based cabs

Do you feel introduction of app Number of Percentage of

based cabs has benefitted you in Respondents Respondents
any way?
Yes 46 92
No 4 8
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.3

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 92% feel benefitted from the introduction of
app-based cabs whereas 8% do not feel benefitted.

37
 GRAPH 24: Graphical presentation of travel preference

Would you rather: Number of Percentage of

Respondents Respondents
Travel alone 29 58
Travel on a share basis 21 42
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.4

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 58% would travel alone whereas 42% would
travel on a share basis.

38
GRAPH 25: Graphical presentation of how likely the respondent is to recommend app-based
cab services

How likely are you to Number of Percentage of

recommend app-based cabs Respondents Respondents
as a means of
transportation to friends/family?
Highly likely 32 64
Not very likely 5 10
Neutral 13 26
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.5

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 64% are highly likely to recommend app-
based cab services, 26% are neutral and 10% are not very likely.

39
 GRAPH 26: Graphical presentation of years of app-based cab usage

For how many years are you Number of Percentage of

using app-based cabs? Respondents Respondents
<1 3 6
1-2 20 40
>2 27 54
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.6

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 54% have been using app-based cab services
for over 2 years, 40% have been using for 1-2 years whereas 6% have been using for less
than a year.

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GRAPH 27: Graphical presentation of harm to the environment by introduction of app-based
cabs

Do you feel the addition of app- Number of Percentage of

based Respondents Respondents
cabs to roads is in a way
harmful to the environment?
Yes 13 26
No 36 72
It depends on the usage and 1 2
the measures taken to make
the cabs
environment friendly
TOTAL 50 100

FIGURE – 5.7

FINDINGS: The above diagram shows that 72% feel app-based cabs do not harm the
environment whereas 26% feel they are harmful to the environment.

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FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

 In terms of colleges, maximum response is from St, Xavier’s College with 32%
respondents followed by Goenka College of Commerce and Business Administration
with 20% respondents.
 In terms of offices the majority respondents are fromPricewaterhouseCoopers with
24% respondents and IDFC first bank having the least number of respondents at 16%.
 In terms of demographic profile, majority (82%) are between ages 19-23 whereas
remaining 18% are between ages 24-25. In terms of stream, 68% are from commerce
background, 26% from science background and the remaining from arts background.
 It is observed that out of the 50 respondents, 24 respondents spend between 500-1000
in a month. 11 of them spend between 1000-2000, 9 of them spend below 500 and 6
spend above 2000.
 It is observed that majority of the respondents favour train/metro with 44% of the
respondents choosing it as their preferred medium of transportation. 28% are in favour
of app-based cab services.
 It is found that 40% respondents use app-based cabs a few times a month. App based
cabs serve as daily means of commute for 10% of the respondents. 28% use the cabs
weekly whereas 22% rarely use such cabs.
 44% of the respondents spend below 500 a month on app based cabs whereas 40%
spend between 500 and 1000. 6% of the respondents spend over 2000 a month on cabs
and 10% spend between 1000 and 2000.
 It is found that 86% of the respondents feel safe using app-based cabs.
Remaining 14% feel unsafe.
 It is discovered that the respondents want cheaper fares from app-based cab companies
with 54% of respondents. 20% respondents want frequent discounts, 16% want more
area coverage whereas 10% want cab availability.
 The findings suggest that 76% of the respondents have never left behind a personal
belonging in a cab. 16% have left something behind but have received the belonging
back on contacting the driver. 6% have unfortunately left behinda belonging but not
received it back on contacting the driver.
 86% of the respondents feel Uber has better app usability whereas 14% prefer Ola in
this matter.
 82% feel Uber has a better customer service whereas 18% feel Ola performs better
in this matter.
 86% respondents are of the opinion that Uber has cheaper rates at peakhours whereas
14% feel Ola is cheaper at peak hours.

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 18% feel Ola has better trained drivers whereas 82% feel Uber has bettertrained drivers.
 86% are of the opinion that Uber has cheaper rates while 14% feel Ola is
cheaper.
 60% feel Uber provides frequent discount coupons/offers whereas 40% feelOla is
better in this regard.
 72% say Uber has higher geographical coverage while 28% say Ola coversmore area.
 20% users believe Ola has a smoother functioning app whereas 80% prefer Uber in this
aspect.
 26% find Ola cleaner and comfortable whereas 74% feel Uber is better in this regard.
 92% of the respondents are of the opinion that the introduction of app-based cab
companies has benefitted them whereas 8% feel it has not made much difference in their
lives.
 58% respondents prefer travelling alone whereas 42% prefer share basis.
 64% respondents are highly likely to recommend app-based cab services to friends and
family. 26% are neutral in this regard whereas 10% are not verylikely to recommend
app-based cab services to friends and family.
 It is observed that majority of the respondents have been using app-based cab services
for over 2 years with 54%. 40% have been using for over a year but less than 2 years, 6%
have been using for less than a year.
 72% of the respondents feel that the introduction of app-based cab companies is not
harmful for the environment. 26%, however, feel that these cabs are in some way
harmful to the environment.

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 CHAPTER 4 : CONCLUSION &

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following conclusion can be drawn from the above study:

 Employees are found to be spending more a month on app-based cabs as compared to

college students. College students are found to use app-based cab services a few times a
month spending less than 500 whereas office going employees are found to be using
these cabs on a weekly or daily basis and are spending much more than college students.
 The majority of the respondents are still favorable of train/metro. Train/metrosare not
only cheaper but also cover much more area. However, there are still many places in
Kolkata not accessible by metro. App-based cabs come in handy when such places are to
be visited.
 It can be clearly understood that the monthly transportation cost of an average
employee or college student is in between 500 and 1000.
 Cheaper fares are very much in demand from app-based cab companies. If cheaper
fares are available, people would prefer these cabs over train/metro as they are much
more fast and convenient. The preferences also vary as to the needs of the individual.
Those living in remote areas where Ola/Uber are not available want more area
coverage.
 It is observed that majority of the respondents have been using app-based cab services
for over a period of 2 years.
 It is recognized that any such survey could lead to inaccurate responses. Given the
number and direction of potential biasness, it cannot be clearly concludedas to which
app-based company actually stands out and offers betterservices.
 Although it is common knowledge that introduction of too many cars in the roadis
harmful for the environment, yet, it is observed that 72% people feel that the introduction
of the app-based cabs is not harmful. This shows a certain level of denial as it is very
much true that too much traffic is harmful for the environment in many ways.
 It is good to see that out of the people who left behind a belonging in an app- based
cab, 75% of them received the belonging back on contacting the drivers which shows
that most of the drivers hired by these companies are trustworthy and honest.
 Gender did not play an important role in drawing conclusions from the survey.

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  Uber stands out as the clear winner with an average of 70% votes in its favour
in the following aspects:
o App Usability
o App Smoothness
o Customer Service
o Cheaper Peak Hour Rates
o Better Trained Drivers
o Cheaper Overall Rates
o Frequent Discounts Provided
o Higher Geographical Coverage
o Cleaner and Comfortable Cars

Although from the above study it is evident that Uber is the preferred choice of app-based
cab service in Kolkata among college students and employees, it is to be noted that Ola has
witnessed a rise in market share from 53 per cent in July 2017 to 56.2 per cent in
December last year. Meanwhile, Uber market share decreased by about 2.4 per cent from
42 to 39.6 per cent during the same period. The survey conducted across 650,000
smartphone users (as claimed by Kalagato) in the country reveals that about 40 per cent
respondents have Ola’s app while Uber’s app found a place in about 28.7 per cent phones.

45
RECOMMENDATIONS:

 Ola, an Indian startup, is rapidly expanding into the international market setting up
operations in Australia, New Zealand and The United Kingdom among others. However,
it is advisable for the company to look into the needs of India and expand to remote areas
so that people who do not live in the main city and live in the suburbs can enjoy the
services too. The same should be considered by Uber in order to substantially increase its
share in the Kolkata market.

 It is observed that employees spend more on app-based cab services. This is because
they have a source of income. College students, however, do not generally have any
income source. The companies should therefore set up incentives to provide cheaper
rates for these students. It is beneficial for boththe company as well as the students.

 Although app-based cabs are a blessing, they are also harmful for the environment.
Thus, app-based cab companies should ensure their cabs are environment-friendly
and should undergo frequent pollution tests to ensurenot much harm comes to our
planet.

 In spite of having income sources, many employees too are of the opinion that the
companies should have cheaper fares. This is something for thecompanies to consider.

 Kolkata is one of the major cities of India. Ola is losing out on profits from this vast
market and should thus look to reduce its cons so more people prefer Ola. Out of the
survey conducted, 30% people were in preference of Ola which islow as compared to a
whopping 70% in favour of Uber.

 It is observed that 58% of the respondents prefer to travel alone instead of on a share
basis. This should be avoided and more share basis should be followedas it reduces the
number of cars running on a road unnecessarily.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following websites have been consulted for the making of this project:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/okLbTyf5OtqKnO1roYBAeP/Ube r-vs-Ola-the-
battle-for-dominance-in-Indias-cab-market.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ola_Cabs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_(comphttps:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Ola_Cabsany)
http://www.ciim.in/ola-cabs-business-strategy-case-study
http://www.quora.com
https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-
pdf/695_filename_sowp2007_eng.pdf
http://www.businessofapps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Uber- demographics-
US.png
https://www.smartcompany.com.au/startupsmart/news- analysis/indian-ride-
sharing-giant-ola-reaches-1-5-million-rides- continues-australian-expansion/
https://inc42.com/buzz/uber-drivers-are-olas-new-marketing-strategy- in-australia/
https://www.livemint.com/Companies/Gb1LhciheDr9j4waCCOgSO/Ol a-launches-
services-in-UK.html
https://www.statista.com/topics/4826/uber-technologies/
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Rs3nf10TPy0MEYmjaFJM1p80Raghc3l_x
094BUALmx8/viewform?edit_requested=true
https://www.google.co.in/

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Annexure- II

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