India’s Ola to challenge Uber in UK

LONDON: Ola, India’s dominant ride-hailing startup, announced plans to enter the United Kingdom, opening yet another overseas front in a fight with global leader Uber Technologies Inc.

Ola will initially side-step London, where Uber has just managed to garner a 15-month extension on its operating licence, and will instead begin operations in South Wales and Greater Manchester and is working with authorities to expand nationwide by the year-end.

Ola will offer passengers the option of private hire vehicles and licensed taxis through its platform, where it intends to keep adding transportation options.

Besides its home market, Bangalore-based Ola, operated by ANI Technologies Pvt, is already battling Uber in Australia, a market it entered in February and where it operates in seven cities with 40,000 drivers.

Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Indian online transportation network company, said the firm would engage with policymakers and regulators to “build a company embedded in the UK”.

Uber saved its London business — at least temporarily — following a court appeal in June, after offering a range of incentives including free insurance and limited operating hours for drivers, and a customer helpline and better handling of incidents during rides.