Ride-share service Ola to launch in New Zealand in weeks

Monday, 17 September 2018

Ola launched in Australia in February and is now in seven cities there.

Another alternative to Uber is planning to launch in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in the next few weeks.

Ride share company Ola is looking for drivers from Tuesday, and hopes to begin taking passengers in two to three weeks time, depending on driver interest.

India-based company Ola is launching in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch in two to three weeks.

The India-based company, founded in 2011, already operates in India, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company claims it has more than 125 million users taking as many as 1 billion rides annually.

It will join global giant Uber and NZ-based Zoomy in the kiwi ride-share market. A female-only service called DriveHer aims to start operating in Auckland in late 2018.

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* Women-only ride-sharing coming to NZ with launch of DriveHer app**

NZ country manager Brian Dewil said said kiwis had too little choice when it came to ride-shares.

'I'm excited to build the local team and business in New Zealand and provide a healthy contribution to the nation's local transport infrastructure.'

Chief executive Bhavish Aggarwal said the company sees 'a real opportunity in New Zealand to provide a fair alternative' for both customers and drivers.

He said the company had invested in understanding New Zealand customers and how to meet their transport needs.

Ola's phone app has safety features such as an emergency button that sends ride details to friends, family and emergency services, including real-time tracking of the car.

For drivers, the company claims to charge the industry's lowest commission. It is offering an introductory commission rate of 9 per cent. It also pays drivers daily.

The company launched in Australia in February and now has more than 50,000 drivers in seven major cities there. It started operating in the United Kingdom in August.

Competitor Uber is currently operating in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Dunedin and Queenstown. Zoomy is in Auckland and Wellington.