After Australia, Ola plans to expand operations to UK market

Homegrown cab-hailing platform Ola is planning to enter UK market, after launching its operations in Australia months before.

The Softbank-backed company eyes to start United Kingdom operations in South Wales within the next month. The company wants to expand its footprint across the country by end of 2018.

“Ola is excited to announce its plans for the UK, one of the world’s most evolved transportation markets,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, chief executive of Ola. “The UK is a fantastic place to do business and we look forward to providing a responsible, compelling, new service.”

The company claims that this move makes Ola the only ride-hailing app in the UK that offers passengers the option of booking private hire vehicles (PHVs) and black cabs through one platform. They also plan to add additional transportation options on the platform in the future.

This news comes on the back of Ola’s aggressive overseas expansion plans. The Bengaluru-headquartered company forayed into the Australian market in February, where it now operates in seven cities with over 40,000 registered drivers.

The company claims to conducts 1 billion rides each year globally, with more than 1 million driver partners and 125 million customers in over 110 cities.

Ola’s counterpart Uber has pre-established services in the UK market. However, according to a recent news report, a group of London black cab drivers are planning a legal action against Uber as they claim to have lost earnings since Uber started operations in London in 2012.