Indian cab-hailing company Ola continues its international expansion, marking its foray into the New Zealand market. In a span of fewer than 12 months, Ola has expanded its presence across Australia, UK, and now New Zealand.
Ola has launched services across three cities, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. The ride-sharing company continues its heavy discounting strategy by offering a 50% discount to passengers, while charging a nominal 9% commission from drivers, during the first month, to onboard customers.
“With this move, Ola is offering Kiwis a reliable ride-share service, which provides a safe and affordable alternative as well as a better deal for drivers with lower commission rates that enable them to earn more,” the company said in a press release.
Earlier in September, Ola raised ₹362 crore, while announcing its plans to enter the New Zealand market. Ola had appointed Brain Dewil as Country Manager for New Zealand.
Ola’s services will include safety features like in-app emergency button, to share ride information like name of the driver, vehicle number, and real-time ride tracking, to let family and friends track the location of the cab.
With the latest expansion, Ola will further ramp up its rivalry with Uber, which already has a presence in New Zealand.
The company conducts more than 1 billion rides every year across the globe, serving 125 million customers in more than 110 cities with 1 million driver partners.
In Australia, Ola has a fleet of 50,000 drivers across seven cities and claims to have completed two million rides.
Apart from Ola, another Indian unicorn that has aggressively expanded its geographical presence internationally is OYO. Over the last 12 months, the leading Indian hotel chain has forayed into China, Malaysia, Nepal, and Indonesia.
Indian companies have continued their growth in India and are now looking to capture the global market with their aggressive expansion strategy.