Ola, the online transportation network company based in Bangalore, India, has partnered with Apple to provide Apple Music as part of its customers’ in-cab experience, and as a component of its platform called Ola Play. Sony, Qualcomm and Audio Compass are also part of the same platform. When passengers book an Ola ride, they will be able to interact with an in-car tablet to control the vehicle’s air conditioning, music, watch videos and even read ebooks, reports LA Times.
During a news conference, Bhavish Agarwal, CEO of Ola said, “Cars were initially built for the driver, but with ride-sharing, the control needs to be there for the passenger, and Ola Play works along that.”
Since this is Apple’s second such partnership (the first being with Didi, China’s ride-hailing company) some analysts are wondering if Apple has plans to develop software or services for transportation network companies or even auto makers.
