Ola launches in three new cities and sets sights on London market
Ola announced this week the launch of its services in three new cities in the UK namely Liverpool, Birmingham, and Reading, after local councils granted the platform with both Taxi and Private Hire licenses.
The ride-hailing app originating from India also announced their intentions to launch in London soon.
Celebrating the launch in Liverpool Ola offered free rides on green tuk-tuks as a part of the promotional campaign. Ola say they are the only app that offers black cabs and Private Hire Vehicles, which gives both driver-partners and users more choice.
Ola offers one of the highest share of revenue, charging 10% commission to black cabs and 15% to PHVs, compared with 25% charged by competitors.
Ben Legg, Managing Director of Ola UK, said: “We are delighted to launch our services in Birmingham, Liverpool and Reading thus solidifying Ola’s presence across 7 large metropolitans in the UK. “Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth from both driver-partners and passengers who experienced our offerings in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, and Exeter, we received requests from users across the UK to introduce the Ola platform in their cities. Ola is leading the way with driver benefits and is the only inclusive app in the country, to include black cab drivers into our dynamic fleet. “We are determined to work with local authorities to help communities grow and achieve enhanced transportation access, safety and mobility goals across UK cities.” Following the successful launch of Ola in Cardiff in August 2018, the company was then warmly welcomed in Bristol in October 2018, followed by Bath and Exeter in November 2018. Ola’s arrival in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Reading completes the launch of seven cities in the UK in just seven months, with many more planned across North England and the Midlands in the coming months.
According to Prolific London Legg went on to say: “London is the most complex [market] in terms of regulation and it’s got more competition for drivers. “That’s why we wanted to work our way up, adding a little bit more scale and complexity with each city instead of doing London first.”
