Ola-Uber battle to intensify further, Indian cab aggregator set to ride on Australian roads

To further intensify the battle between Uber and ola, the Indian cab aggregator now is all set to go international with the launch of its operations in Australia in the coming weeks.

The SoftBank-backed firm is now onboarding private hire vehicle owners onto its platform in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, Ola said in a statement.
 

Ola plans to launch its services in Australia in early 2018, it added.

It will share further details of the commencement of commercial operations -- subject to necessary regulatory approvals -- later.

"We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem which embraces new technology and innovation," Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said.

He added that the company aims to "create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens" with a "strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large".
 

Ola's primary competitor in the Australian market would be US-based Uber. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market.
 

Uber launched its operations in Australia in 2012 and currently operates in 19 Australian cities including the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

Founded in 2011, Ola has over 125 million users and more than one million driver-partners across 110 cities on its platform in India.

On an aggregate basis, the Bengaluru-based company serves as many as a billion rides annually, through its platform. 

Meanwhile back at home, to acquire larger market share, according to various media reports Ola will launch e-rickshaw soon and is currently looking for partnerships. 

Ola reportedly has roped in a former executive of Bajaj Auto to lead a team that will design and develop electric vehicles (EVs), including cars and auto-rickshaws, as it pursues the dream of its largest investor Softbank’s Masayoshi Son to have over one million EVs on Indian roads.

Chinam Netaji Patro, who drove the research and development (R&D) of electrical and electronics at Bajaj Auto, joined Ola last month as its senior director for EVs.

According to Ola, it brough Patro on-board because, ", "Chinam is an auto industry veteran, who brings in deep understanding when it comes to assessing the right technologies for Ola and collaborating with the right partners so as to bring forward India’s EV ecosystem."

The move came after the overwhelming response to its Ola autos in Chennai and Bengaluru. Ola now plans to take country-wide coverage of electric auto-rickshaws across the country.  

Meanwhile, it looks like the end of the road for Uber, the mobile taxi hailing service in India after a Softbank board member, who is about to join the US-based company’s board, talked of the possible merger between Ola and Uber in the country with SoftBank as the common investor, Financial Times reported.

However, an Uber India spokesperson told Business Standard that the talks of a merger were baseless speculation. . “Our business in India is stronger than ever and we are 100% committed to serving our riders and driver partners in India," he said.

Earlier, Uber closed a deal with SoftBank, commissioning the sale of a significant portion of its sale to the latter, in a bid to implement modifications in management and go public in two years.

(With inputs from PTI)