The UK is the third country for Ola, after India and Australia, where it will offer its app cab services
In a fresh challenge to rival Uber Technologies Inc, homegrown cab-hailing platform Ola Cabs is eyeing the UK market, where it plans to launch its services next month.
The Bengaluru-based company, which has raised $1.1 billion from Japan's Softbank and China's Tencent Holdings last year, said it has obtained licences to operate in South Wales and Greater Manchester with operations in South Wales to be launched within the next month. The UK is the third country for Ola, after India and Australia, where it will offer its app cab services.
In a smart move for a cab-hailing platform in the UK, Ola will offer passengers options of private hire vehicles (PHVs) and metered black cabs through its platform and compete with other apps such as Gett and mytaxi, which connect passengers with black cabs.
According to an Ola spokesperson, the online cab aggregator is inviting PHVs and metered tai drivers in Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan to register on its platform at an introductory commission rate of 10% for PHVs and 5% for metered cabs.
In a statement on Tuesday, Ola said it is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by end-2018. The company is competing with Uber both in India and Australia, though the latter has pulled out of operations in Southeast Asia earlier this year.
In a press statement, Ola said it will focus on passenger safety by means of DBS screened drivers and processes such as 24/7 voice support, options to share ride details with emergency contacts and in-app emergency features.
Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal in a statement said, "The UK is a fantastic place to do business and we look forward to providing a responsible, compelling, new service that can help the country meet its ever demanding mobility needs."
In February, Ola launched its services in Australia and currently operates in seven cities with over 40,000 drivers registered on its platform. Founded in 2011, Ola currently has over one million driver partners with 125 million customers in more than 110 cities, it said.
American taxi-hailing app Uber, also backed by SoftBank, has faced severe criticism and scrutiny globally over passenger safety. In June, it was granted a probationary 15-month licence to operate in London, after its licence was stripped off in September 2017 following several complaints. It has been operating in the UK since 2012. As per media reports, Uber is also facing strong objections from drivers of black cabs, who spend years to memorise street names and landmarks before qualifying as licensed drivers.
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