Driver FAQs

New Applications

Click here and sign up using your Google account OR mobile number and provide you basic information to start the registration process.

Upload all the required documents. We will reach out to you once your documents and vehicle have been verified.

You can find the list of documents required for your city in the Documents section.

Registration is free. You should have an iOS or Android smartphone with an active data connection. There may be costs associated with providing documentation.

You can sign up with an iPhone, Android phone, or from a computer.

Using your preferred mobile number & email account, you can register at drive.olacabs.com/register

 

Document verification will be completed within 24 hours of document submission if all uploaded documents are correct.

You will be notified on completion of verification or receive an email to prompt accurate completion of your application.

Your account will be activated as soon as Ola verifies all of your documents.

After all your documents are submitted and verified, you will be sent an app download link to your registered email. You can also download the Ola driver app from the App Store or Google Play store.

You don’t need to be GST registered to drive for Ola in NZ. You can find more information on GST on the IRD website HERE

You sure can!

Driving with Ola is up to you. You choose your own hours and days. It is completely flexible. Some people use this job as their side hustle to make money on the side. Some drivers make more than $500 just driving weekends.

Check our Rate Card for New Zealand

To see the commissions for your city, click here. You can also earn even more with incentive rewards and peak period pricing.

 

New Zealand: Vehicles must not be more than 15 years old.

Yes, you can register your taxi with Ola, as long as you have all the relevant documentation.

No, you cannot legally drive with Ola without one, or while using another company’s TSL.

To drive with Ola, you need to either have a personal TSL/SPSL (under your name, or a company name where you are the director on NZBN).

You can also use an Ola TSL.

The NZTA requires the following to remain compliant driving with Ola:

  1. TSL displayed on inside of windscreen as close as possible to bottom of passenger’s side
  2. P Endorsement must be displayed on the dashboard visible to all passengers

See how to apply your TSL label HERE.

If you have your own TSL, you can upload it on your registration form at drive.olacabs.com/register

Please upload it under the ‘Driver documents’ section.

You must record your work time while driving using the Ola driver app. It is a legal obligation for all Passenger Endorsement holders to record all work time using an NZTA approved logbook.

If you drive under the Ola Transport Service Licence (TSL), it is a requirement that you record your work time using the Logmate App. A Logmate subscription is required to use Logmate.

Work time includes active time spent on the road with the Ola driver app, and other work-related activities subject to the NZTA work time rules.

Read more HERE to ensure you are ready to drive.

If you are using your own TSL, you are free to use a logbook of your choice or Logmate.

Ola has a partnership with Logmate and you are required to use this service if you are using Ola’s TSL to ensure compliance with NZTA legislation. To register with Logmate, go to logmate.co.nz/drivers/

You will then need to add us as an operator. Please follow the below steps:

1. Login to your Logmate App
2. Go to the “Operators” section in the menu
3. Go to Add Operator
4. Enter the company Name as “Ola”. Enter Your First and Last Names and input “logmate@olacabs.com” as the email address
5. Submit this and we will receive your request.

Please note there is a $5 NZD monthly ‘Ola TSL fee’ when using Ola’s TSL.

Yes, to ensure compliance as per the NZTA, the TSL must be displayed as follows:

  1. Your TSL must be displayed on the dashboard, as close to the bottom of passenger’s side as possible
  2. Your TSL ID card must be visible to all passengers

More information on this can be found in the NZTA Small Passenger Service Guide 2019.

Vehicle Information

There is currently no limit to the amount of cars you can have listed on your account.

It is as simple as the registration process for your first car:

  1. Visit drive.olacabs.com
  2. Sign in with your registered google account/phone number
  3. Upload your car documents

Once verification is done, you will be notified of its status within 72 hours.

Note: City of the new vehicle should be as per your registered city. The new vehicle should not be associated as “available” under another driver.

Yes! If you are a Driver-partner already onboarded with Ola, you can add multiple vehicles in the driver app.

  1. Update your Ola driver app to the latest version via iOS (App Store) or Android (Google Play). To do this simply click on UPDATE in the App Store or Google Play
  2. Once you are in your Ola driver app, jump into your driver Profile page. Scroll down the My Profile menu and you will see ‘MANAGE VEHICLES’ under the My Vehicles section
  3. In the MANAGE VEHICLES app page, click on CHANGE VEHICLE
  4. Once you CONFIRM, you will be logged out of the app. When you log back in, you can select your new car

No, for security purposes, we don’t allow two drivers to be attached to a single car. Only when a vehicle is “terminated” from the driver that is currently registered with Ola, does it become available to be registered to a new driver.

If we receive an application for a car that is active, we contact the previous partner to confirm the termination of the vehicle from their account. Then the car can be attached to the new partner.

If you’ve just added a new car, it might take up to 72 hours for the documents to be verified. You will be notified as soon as the team goes through them!

If you are changing your vehicle, this can happen instantly. You may be required to log out and log in again to your driver app for the change to show.

Ola Drivers

You are paid daily by Ola and will receive payments as a direct deposit into your nominated bank account.

The ‘rewards’ feature is located at the bottom of your driver app screen.

Simply click ‘rewards’ and a new page will open, showing the incentives that are valid for you. The Rewards you have earned can also be tracked here. You can expect to receive your incentive reward payments within 5 working days after the incentive period has finished.

NZTA stands for the New Zealand Transport Agency. This is the agency appointed by the Government for maintaining the registration and licensing of drivers in New Zealand.

Use the Go-To feature to help you earn when you are on the way home or to a specific location to start your day.

You can select the destination that you wish to accept trips towards, twice a day. Once selected you will only receive trips taking you in that direction.

Learn more about Go-To HERE

You can update your mobile number within the driver app by going to:

More > View Profile > Update phone number.

If you have changed mobile numbers & do not have access to your old number, please send us an email at care.nz@olacabs.com

The safety and comfort of the Ola community is extremely important to us. We have strong safety measures in place, including the below:

  • Your mobile number is masked from customers to ensure your privacy.
  • Drivers can alert their emergency contacts or call the nearest police control room immediately using the SOS button provided on the app.

See how Ola supports driver safety in the driver app HERE

You can be reimbursed for the cleaning fee if a rider creates an unfortunate mess in your vehicle. To start the cleaning fee reimbursement process with Ola, follow the steps HERE

When a customer books a ride through their Ola app, we offer the booking to nearby drivers.

As a driver accepts the booking, Ola verifies the customer’s payment method to ensure the payment will be processed for the trip they have booked.

If the payment verification fails for any reason, the trip will be cancelled.

This entire process occurs within seconds of the driver accepting a trip. If the trip is cancelled due to a payment verification issue, the next available trip will be assigned to the driver.

  1. A Cancellation fee is charged to compensate drivers for the time, effort and fuel spent while trying to reach the pickup location.
  2. A rider may be charged a cancellation fee if*:
    1. The estimated time of arrival of the driver is less than 5 minutes and the rider cancels the booking 3 minutes or later after the booking has been accepted by the driver; or
    2. The estimated time of arrival of the driver is 5 minutes or more and the rider cancels the booking 5 minutes or later after the booking has been accepted by the driver; or
    3. The driver has already arrived at the pickup location; or
    4. The driver cancels the booking after waiting at the pickup location for 5 minutes or more.
  3. However, the cancellation fee will not be charged if the driver is delayed in reaching the pickup location by more than 5 minutes from the shown estimated time of arrival.
  4. If a driver starts a trip they are ineligible to receive a cancellation fee for that same trip.
  5. Cancellation fee amount may vary depending on the rider’s city and the vehicle category selected.
  6. Cancellation fees charged to Ola riders will be paid to the driver, less any commission.
  7. If a cancellation fee is applicable, the driver will be instantly notified within the app upon cancellation of the booking. Where a driver declines a ride after adhering to the above rules, Ola reserves the right to deny a cancellation fee.
  8. Any disputes may be raised via the app.

*When the booking is confirmed, the system will calculate an estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the driver to reach the pick-up location from his/her current location. The actual time of booking acceptance is added to the ETA to amount to the scheduled pick-up time. The calculation of the ETA is based on a fixed default speed in its calculation. That is, the actual time of arrival for a car can be more or less than the ETA depending on his/her driving speed.

You can find the Rate Card HERE

No. Drivers are prohibited from picking up riders under the age of 18 unless accompanied by an adult for the entire duration of the trip.

If an adult places any child under 18 years of age in your vehicle without the adult with them, the driver must also refuse the ride.

If the driver suspects that a passenger may be under the age of 18, the driver must request to see identification from the passenger prior to starting the trip and you have the right to refuse the ride if the rider is under 18 years of age.

You are never to accept cash payments from passengers under any circumstances – all trips and payments are managed through the Ola app. If you accept a cash payment you may be in breach of our Driver Community Rules and could face permanent account action.

Fatigue Management

You’ll need to take regular rest breaks for 30 mins for every 7 hours of driving to remain alert and keeping you and your riders safe on the road at all times.

Driving hours include the time spent driving during a trip, the time between two trips or time spent stationary e.g. airport queue and regular rest breaks. The driving hours accumulate until you log off for 10 consecutive hours or once you reach 14 hours you will be automatically logged off for 10 hours.

Your driving hours can be found by going to the ‘Driving Hours’ section in your driver app. You will be notified before you reach 14 hours.

You will be automatically logged off for 10 hours once you have reached 14 online hours. Once you complete your end-of-shift break you can log back on and start accepting rides!

*If you are in the middle of a trip when you reach 14 hours, you will be able to complete the trip before you are logged off for 10 hours.

Driver Support

Ola Chat via the Driver App
We recently launched Ola Chat; a new way for drivers to find the answers they need when they need them.  Ola Chat provides instant answers to your questions in just a few clicks.

How to initiate a chat with Ola:

  • Open your Driver app on your phone
  • Click on the ‘Ola Care’ icon to open up the Ola Support Center
  • Once in the Support Center scroll down to ‘Other help topics’ and find the topic that best matches your query
  • Click on the relevant topic to initiate an Ola Chat
  • Ola will first attempt to answer your question using our automated chat-bot, and if unsuccessful we will transfer you to one of our expert chat agents to help you find the answers you’re looking for
  • You can access all your previous chats in the ‘Your messages’ section of the Support Center for easy reference later

Call us

You can call our Ola Care team on 09 884 2437

Social Media

Join our Ola Drivers NZ Facebook page and send us a message via Facebook

Please be advised: Our Ola Driver offices are now permanently closed. For all your Driver concerns please contact us using one of the methods above

How to initiate a chat with Ola:

  • Open your Driver app on your phone
  • Click on the ‘Ola Care’ icon to open up the Ola Support Center
  • Once in the Support Center scroll down to ‘Other help topics’ and find the topic that best matches your query
  • Click on the relevant topic to initiate an Ola Chat
  • Ola will first attempt to answer your question using our automated chat-bot, and if unsuccessful we will transfer you to one of our expert chat agents to help you find the answers you’re looking for
  • You can access all your previous chats in the ‘Your messages’ section of the Support Center for easy reference later

No, Ola does not recommend nor support doing so due to risks to customer experience, safety and insurance. These risks could include dangerous goods, illegal substances or put you in a compromising position to being liable for damage to goods.  Ola recommends cancelling the ride. Please note riders taking parcels do so at their own risk.

Yes, if the rider will not travel with their parcel, you can cancel the ride and receive the cancellation fee. Please ensure you first, clearly explain that a cancellation fee will be applied if they do not travel with their parcel or goods.