Startups

Bhavish Aggarwal and Ola Cabs: Reinventing How India Moves

Reyansh Oswal

04 Jan 2026 — 1 min read

In 2010, traveling within Indian cities meant unreliable taxis, rude drivers, and endless bargaining. While most people accepted this as normal, Bhavish Aggarwal saw a broken system waiting to be fixed. A simple road trip gone wrong planted a powerful idea in his mind. Transportation in India needed an upgrade.

Along with his co founder, Bhavish launched Ola Cabs with a clear goal. Make city travel easy, safe, and accessible for everyone. The early days were tough. Convincing drivers to trust an app was difficult. Customers hesitated to book rides online. But Bhavish believed that technology could bring order to chaos.

Ola focused on scale and inclusion. It did not just target premium users. It brought auto rickshaws, budget rides, and local drivers onto one platform. From metros to small towns, Ola expanded rapidly, changing how millions of Indians moved every day.

Competition intensified when global giants entered the market. The battle was fierce. Ola faced operational challenges, regulatory pressure, and financial strain. Yet Bhavish kept pushing forward, adapting and innovating.

Then came a bold shift. Bhavish turned his focus to the future of mobility. With Ola Electric, he stepped into electric vehicles, aiming to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and build a sustainable transport ecosystem for India.

Bhavish Aggarwal’s journey reflects relentless ambition. He did not just build a cab company. He built a mobility movement. His story reminds us that real innovation begins by questioning everyday problems and daring to solve them at scale.

LuwakTech’s sharp insights and inspiring startup stories ignite passion, spark ideas, and empower the upcoming bunch of entrepreneurs to chase their dreams.

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