Driving For Ola / Uber: Which Car To Buy?

[ss80]

Hi All,
One of my colleague wants to buy a new car and drive for Ola / Uber.

Requirement: Diesel car
Type: hatchback preferred (sedan okyish)
Monthly running : 2000kms min
What he wants:
Driver comfort, low downpaymwants ent, good mileage, low dashboard height, Ps+ac+2 pm
What he is not so concerned about:
Resale value, Power, back seat comfort, ICE, brand.
Budget: 5lakhs approx

He plans to do it in a months time
It will be a self driven car.
Location: Bangalore.

Although he is inclined towards Indica, he feels it's too outdated in every way to price it 5+ lakhs. Seen a lot of Datson Go, micra, ritzy etc plz pour in your inputs. Will help him a lot.

 

[generalmax]

Re: Driving for Ola/ Uber - which car to buy

In my observation,RItz LDI tour,perfect fit for this business. They had made this car exclusive for cab operators. Owned a Ritz ,I would say nothing to worry. Ritz looks are actually so futuristic ,we couldn't digest it .

 

[GautamJ]

Re: Driving for Ola/ Uber - which car to buy

I would advise your friend to check Tata Bolt diesel. It is very spacious and uses the national engine (Fiat 1.3 litre Engine). It has the best seat comfort in its segment, also it is not selling much so he can expect good deals too.

 

[Akash1886]

My choice would be Etios Liva in Diesel. Toyota's engines are quite good and reliable. Also you can suggest for CNG options too. There is a minor difference in FE of Diesel and CNG equipped cars.

Regards

Akash

 

[ameyam]

Car To Register in Ola / Uber

Hi,

considering putting a small car in Ola / Uber. I have a good driver who is more of a family member now. He doesnt earn much from me. I have been playing with the idea of suggesting him to drive Ola / Uber. That way both of us could earn a bit more. Finally asked him and he was more than willing.

The question is, what car do I put into service. The real limiter is that I am about to buy a home, so there isint too much cash at hand. One possibility was going with a Wagon R but there is a 3 month waiting for a CNG Wagon R new. I thought of the Celerio but am informed that the min displacement is 1000cc. So I was thinking of buying a 2nd hand car for this.
Secondly, I would like not to get a CNG. Though economical, CNG means long serpentine queues to refill. I was considering getting a diesel instead. Thing is, getting a low mileage less than 5 year old diesel car is a task. Initially, I was looking for a Ritz diesel but the Ritz is now officially discontinued and getting a low mileage newish car is not materialising. There are a pile of used low mileage fairly new Wagon Rs on the market. most in private handa and that can be converted to tourist duty

So what small car, preferable diesel should I look for?

Ameyam

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Car to register in Ola / Uber

Hi,
considering putting a small car in Ola / Uber.
Ameyam

Look for a used Etios Diesel, used Liva Diesel, Mahindra Logan (that's one hell of reliable engine) and in case you may consider CNG, buy a Datsun GO Hatchback and get a aftermarket CNG kit fixed.

Regards

Akash

 

[ameyam]

Re: Car to register in Ola / Uber

Had thought about datsun. Thing is, there is no ASC in Mumbai city, the nearest being in thane. Plus reliability is a big concern.

I believe you are saying mahindra logan and Toyotas are a lot more reliable? Coz the Logan is out of production for some time now, so dont know about parts. Its used Toyotas seem rather rare. Should i consider Tata- say a Manza or a Zest? When i drove the Zest a year back, i was floored by its comfort and there is one available at a nice price though i will need to CNG it

Ameyam

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Car to register in Ola / Uber

Had thought about datsun. Thing is, there is no ASC in Mumbai city, the nearest being in thane. Plus reliability is a big concern.

Ok. As far as reliability is there, I am seeing a number of Datsun Go hatchbacks in fleets here so if its surviving in fleet business, it would surely not be an unreliable product in my view. If you know anyone who owns a Go Hatchback, take his feedback too.

I believe you are saying mahindra logan and Toyotas are a lot more reliable? Coz the Logan is out of production for some time now, so dont know about parts.

Used Toyotas aren't really rear. Etios can be found surely. Ask any other fleet owner who is willing to sell an Etios and also check with used car sellers. Toyota's engine is quite reliable and as far as the Logan goes,there is part sharing between Verito Sedan and Logan. Even though Logan's production has stopped yet Verito is there and its spares are available too so shouldn't be an issue buddy. Also suggest you to avoid the "Verito Vibe" because that hatchback's production has been stopped recently.

Its used Toyotas seem rather rare. Should i consider Tata- say a Manza or a Zest? When i drove the Zest a year back, i was floored by its comfort and there is one available at a nice price though i will need to CNG it

If the car which is available for you is less run and single owner driven and nicely maintained then you can opt for it. Though its said/believed that TATA cars have niggles when they get old but I know a driver in Mumbai in whose Manza I had traveled, he purchased it second hand and now the ODO has crossed 1.6L Kms. At time of his purchase, the car had approx 50-60K Kms already on ODO. Also, get a CNG kit from a certified outlet as you'll need to display the metal plate too on the car's fuel tank. However, I don't think you'll be able to get TATA Zest as a used one easily.

Regards

Akash

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Car to register in Ola / Uber

Well, I can consider myself as an early bird when it comes to ola and uber. In NCR it has to be a Wagon R any day for my in case I try to further expand.

Point 1: Be it a mini, micro or the sedan, the difference between the income isn't anythung significant. So buy the hatchback, the sedan won't give any much benefits now, gone are those days.

Point 2: In NCR we have diesel ban on cabs, all new cabs have to be CNG only. If in your area there is no such issue then you can try Bolt or Ritz, or maybe Swift LDi or Hyundai Grand i10. Make sure all of them are passed into cabs at the RTO you want to register at (at my place you can't register a Celerio CNG as a cab).

Point 3: Pay the driver a good salary and you get the better return. Normally the cabbies are paid 12-15k by owners and the drivers also dont bother working honestly enough. The return is hardly 25-30k per owner if the driver is not good enough. Better opt to pay 20k or even better to the driver and tell him that you want him to at least try to make 15 rides a day. If he does so, the car will help you buy home and you will instead expand your fleet.

 

[ameyam]

Re: Car to register in Ola / Uber

Vipul,

My driver is nice. Like i said, he is more of a family member now. Though, he does stay far, so i cant ask him to work a lot of hours. I am told the current rate is 100 rs per trip. There is no difference in payback between 6 and 12 trips as per latest plan, so he will be at 12 trips minimum.

Regarding car, there is a used zest at a fantastic price. But i dont really want a sedan. If the waggie was available in diesel, i would take. Ritz is discontinued new and i am not seeing too many diesels on the used market. So maybe cng is the way to go

Lets see where i get

Ameyam

 

[TSIVipul]

Go CNG then. I guess last week it was equal payback from Uber (no ola for me) and more or less it's same.

Running isnt very high in ola or uber like the corporate ones like D&P, seahawks etc and normally one CNG tankful will suffice for a Wagon R CNG per day for intra-city operations. Normally the trips last hardly 6-7 kms (I have driven Uber myself too for experiencing it) with a few going up to 15-20 kms and one tankful of CNG normally works if the driver isn't working for 16-17 hours.

Rest I tell you, with companies turning away from corporate vendors and eyeing ola and uber etc, the future isn't dark as many suggest and if your driver is honest enough then you are buying your next car within next 6 months.

 

[bhvm]

Here we have to think about the perspective of customer as well as relilabluty.
Customer wants a car with Big brand in the nose. What you want, is a no fuss car with nothing much to fail and quick & efficient service.

The base model of Etios Liva/ Etios diesel suits you perfectly. Customers love Toyota.

Other options are Tata Zest, Mahindra Verito, Swift Dzire. Cost difference between Sedan, Hatchback is not usually much. The boot really helps with luggage so customer chooses Sedan.

You can go one up and try Maruti Ertiga. Running costs are similar to Full Sedans.

 

[TSIVipul]

@bhvm
Saarji let me put up a very simple phrase which is considered to be the quality mantra "keep it simple".

There is no use thinking too much, all customer actually needs is something that can take them from A to B for as less as possible with an AC and safer than the crappy auto ricks. Most of the actual customer base is the one who looks for mini as per what our experience has been till date.

 

[ameyam]

Guys, i am almost at selection time. Few things transpired
Ritz discontinued
Wagon R cng 2 months waiting
Swift dzire too expensive
Indica v2 diesel is okish

Now the Wagon R cng is 5.3lakh on road with discounts. Though hassle free, it means getting into line for cng. Again that wouldnt be an issue in the city but i and my driver discussed the car would remain with him at Diva where stays which is outside city limits as this would allow him to log in early to take the morning peak hours. There are only 2 cng pumps around there, so there will be a long queue. On the otherhand diesel will cost Rs 4/km whereas cng 2/km. Further, the indica is only 50k more expensive than the waggie.
Also, i think the Bolt is just 15k more expensive than the indica. Seeing a lot of Bolts in ola use recently. How is the bolt and should i consider cng version of either indica or bolt or stick with the Wagon R cng?

Ameyam

 

[GautamJ]

Guys, i am almost at selection time. Few things transpired
Ritz discontinued
Wagon R cng 2 months waiting
Swift dzire too expensive
Indica v2 diesel is okish

Now the Wagon R cng is 5.3lakh on road with discounts. Though hassle free, it means getting into line for cng. Again that wouldnt be an issue in the city but i and my driver discussed the car would remain with him at Diva where stays which is outside city limits as this would allow him to log in early to take the morning peak hours. There are only 2 cng pumps around there, so there will be a long queue. On the otherhand diesel will cost Rs 4/km whereas cng 2/km. Further, the indica is only 50k more expensive than the waggie.
Also, i think the Bolt is just 15k more expensive than the indica. Seeing a lot of Bolts in ola use recently. How is the bolt and should i consider cng version of either indica or bolt or stick with the Wagon R cng?

Ameyam

I would suggest you to go with Diesel Bolt.
If CNG then better go with company fitted kit, which comes in WagonR.