Ride-hailing app Ola on Monday said it is expanding its operations in the UK with extension of its services in South-West England. Starting Monday, people in and around the city of Bristol can book rides on the Ola app, with services launching in Exeter and more towns in the coming weeks, Ola said in a statement. “This move marks Ola’s first entry into England after launching in South Wales earlier this year,” it added.

Ola, which is locked in an intense battle with rival Uber in markets such as India, had kick-started its international operations earlier this year, starting with Australia. Since then, it has started operations in countries such as the UK and New Zealand.

“We could not be more excited about launching services in South-West England in the thriving city of Bristol, ahead of the busy holiday season...While we remain in the early stages of our UK-wide roll-out, we have seen passengers and drivers respond positively to what we offer,” Ben Legg, Managing Director of Ola UK, said.

Ola said it is committed to its approach to passenger safety, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) screened drivers and processes such as 24/7 voice support, options to share ride details with emergency contacts and in-app emergency features.

The company conducts 1 billion rides a year in 125 cities of operations, with more than a million drivers and 150 million customers on its platform.

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