Homegrown cab hailing company Ola has announced its foray into UK. It has obtained licences to operate in South Wales and Greater Manchester and will launch operations in South Wales within the next month.
Ola will be the only ride-hailing app in the UK that offers passengers the option of Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) and Black Cabs, which in the future, will see additional transportation options incorporated. The cab aggregator is working with local authorities across UK to expand nationwide by end of 2018.
Starting Tuesday Ola is inviting Private Hire Vehicle and Metered Taxi drivers in Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan to register with Ola. It will be offering them an introductory commission rate of 10% for PHVs and 5% for metered taxis.
Ola said in a statement that it will ensure passenger safety through measures including 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 is excited to announce its plans for the UK, one of the world’s most evolved transportation markets. 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. We look forward to our continued engagement with policymakers and regulators as we expand across the country and build a company embedded in the UK,” Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Ola said.
Ola’s entry into the UK comes after it launched operations in Australia in February 2018, where it now operates in seven major cities. Over 40,000 drivers across Australia have registered since its launch in February and have completed millions of rides. Ola now conducts 1 billion rides each year globally, with more than 1 million driver partners and 125 million customers in over 110 cities.