One of the World’s Largest Ride-Sharing Companies Is Coming to Australia

Our roads are set to get even busier with Ola, a popular Indian ride-sharing platform, announcing today it will expand its services to Australia in early 2018, rolling out in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

Ola’s CEO and co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, says: “We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem, which embraces new technology and innovation.”

Founded in 2011 by Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola works much like other ride-share providers Uber and Taxify connecting users to a range of transport options through an app. Like Uber, it has also been accused of cutting driver pay.

In India, the platform is used by 125 million people, with one million drivers registered across more than 110 cities. On average, Ola provides approximately one billion rides a year via cars, as well as motorbike taxis, shuttles, auto-rickshaws and, most recently, bicycles, which at this stage are only offered at Indian Universities.

Ola says its success comes down to the personalised experience it provides, and its driver-partner focus. In 2016, the company launched Ola Play, providing a range of electronic entertainment for trips, powered by partners such as Microsoft, Sony Liv and Apple Music.

Ola hasn’t yet built a local team but has opened registrations for Australian private vehicle owners in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

.olacabs.com