Ola Cabs Exits Google Maps, Transitions to In-House Ola Maps

Ride-hailing platform Ola Cabs has shifted from Google Maps to its own Ola Maps. This transition will save Rs 100 crore a year. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ola Group’s cofounder and chairman Bhavish Aggarwal wrote, “After the Azure exit last month, we’ve now fully exited Google Maps. We used to spend ₹100 crore a year, but we’ve made that 0 this month by moving completely to our in-house Ola Maps! Check your Ola app and update if needed.” 

Aggarwal further added that Ola Map’s API is available on the Krutrim Cloud. The app will soon have other features such as street view, NERFs, indoor images, 3D maps, and drone maps. 

Recently, Ola also shifted from Microsoft’s Azure to its own AI firm, Krutrim. A week after ending ties with Azure, the company shifted its entire workload to Krutrim Cloud. The action was taken in response to Aggarwal's article about "pronoun illness" being taken down by Microsoft-owned job network LinkedIn. 

Krutrim AI is a personal assistant program developed by Ola that is available in several Indian languages. In 2021, Ola acquired Pune-based GeoSpoc to build “next-generation location technology.” In a blog post, Aggarwal wrote, “These fundamental changes will require investments in next-gen technologies, including location and geospatial technologies, and advancements in satellite imagery conversion into real-time maps as well as 3D, HD, and vector maps.” 

Similarly, the ride-hailing platform introduced its electric two-wheeler in January with Ola Maps. Amid the ongoing curiosity around Ola Maps, Aggarwal wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “For those curious to know what we have built in Ola maps in house and what we have leveraged from the open source community, we will be publishing a detailed technical blog over the weekend. I hope you all enjoy reading it.”