As a professional driver, we at Ola expect the highest level of professionalism and standards at all times. As part of this expectation, we wanted to take the opportunity to cover several areas of driver conduct that we feel are crucially important.
Discrimination :-
It’s important you treat everyone with respect and kindness. It is illegal to discriminate against a person’s age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment. Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our company ethos and we believe that everyone should be shown the same courtesy; both drivers and riders alike.
Ola has a zero tolerance policy on discrimination and if proven, this will result in permendant termination from our platform and a licencing authority report being submitted.
Inappropriate Conduct :-
It is fundamental that at all times, you respect every rider’s personal space, and stay clear of questions that might be too personal or deemed inappropriate, such as flirtatious comments or conduct. Remember – Conversations of a flirtatious or sexual nature are absolutely forbidden, as is touching or approaching passengers.
Our advice is for you to let the customer guide your interaction with them. Some customers may want to discuss a topic with you and some may want to sit peacefully on their trip. Topics such as political and religious beliefs can be very divisive and must be avoided.
All complaints of this nature will always be investigated fully and where it is assessed that a driver-partners conduct has fallen short of the required standards, they will be considered for a permanent termination from Ola’s platform and subsequent reporting to their licencing authority.
Aggressive Situations :-
If a situation does look like it may escalate, try to maintain eye contact, whilst being alert and aware of your surroundings. Keep your communication polite and pleasant, remain calm and try to de-escalate the situation. If this fails, you can use your lights and horn to try to get the attention of any passers by. After the incident, please make a note with the description of the suspects, what took place, along with any witness details. Report any incidents to 999 or 101, as well as Partner Care so we can take the necessary action.
If you feel in any danger during a trip, or are involved in a serious incident: when safe to do so tap the SOS button to contact the emergency services. Make sure you do not fight back, or carry/use weapons, chase riders or risk your own safety to protect your vehicle or property.
Alcohol / Illegal Substances :-
In line with the UK law, it is absolutely forbidden for drivers to be intoxicated due to alcohol and/or illegal substances. Furthermore, if you are on prescribed medication, you must disclose your occupation as a Private Hire Driver to your medical professional for their assessment if it is likely to affect your ability to drive.
Disclosure of Criminal Convictions :-
If once you have obtained your Private Hire licence you find yourself being charged and convicted of a criminal matter, you must disclose this as part of your continuous licensing obligations to your licencing authority.
Ola reserves the right to review all matters involving criminal allegations, investigations and convictions and may issue a prolonged off-road or termination decision from those notifications.