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After consolidating its position in India, Ola is making its debut in the international market in Australia, where it will take on rival Uber, the dominant ride-share platform in the country.
Beginning Tuesday, Ola is inviting private hire vehicle owners in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to register with Ola as its driver-partners, with an introductory offer of only 7.5 per cent commission charges from those who join now. In India, Ola charges 20-22 per cent commissions from its driver-partners.
“We are very excited about launching Ola in Australia and see immense potential for the ride-sharing ecosystem, which embraces new technology and innovation,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Ola.
To register, driver-partners must, in addition to providing the mandatory documents, have an Android smartphone with an active data connection, failing which Ola will loan the Android smartphones to get them started, to be returned after Ola launches its iOS app.
At present, Ola is accepting only private hire vehicles on its platform in Australia. It is expected to launch its consumer app once its garners a significant driver-partner base.
Uber recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in Australia, a market it entered in November 2012. Uber is present in 19 Australian cities, including Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
“While Ola has an edge over Uber in India with its customised offerings for Indians, such as Ola Auto, to truly take on Uber, it will need to expand to international markets,” said Rajeev Banduni, co-founder and CEO, GrowthEnabler Global.
Choice of Down Under
Ola, he noted, has done well in choosing Australia which has a huge Indian student population, which is already familiar with Ola.
“Till now, all Ola customers have had to use Uber in international markets; with Ola’s expansion into international markets, the company will now be able to create a global customer base,” Banduni added.
Founded in 2011, Ola enables smart transportation options to over 125 million users in India through its network of over one million driver-partners that it hosts across 110-plus cities, serving a billion rides annually through its platform.
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