India’s ride-hailing giant, Ola, has this week announced that they ready to make their UK debut. Expected to go head-to-head with Uber, we have seen a huge mix of opinions regarding Ola’s expansion.
The story starts in South Wales
While conquering London will inevitably be the end-goal for the brand, the business will first lay down its routes in South Wales. Though a far cry from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, Ola believe Cardiff and Newport to offer the first chapter in their UK success story. Expected to have their cabs in the Welsh cities as early as next week, the company then plans to set up shop in Manchester.
However, the UK is Ola’s second international market outside of Asia. Just last year, the business started operating in Sydney, evidently seeking a global presence.
Safety first
Wanting to succeed where Uber so famously failed, Ola are placing a huge focus on passenger safety, and rightly so! Putting various pillars in place to protect their passengers, Ola has built a voice support tool and promises to share data with all relevant authorities.
In a statement, they say Ola “seeks to lead the industry with its approach to passenger safety”.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), said the following:
“The LTDA welcomes fair competition in London and would expect to see Ola play by the rules if granted a licence to operate in the capital.
“Ola says that it is committed to raising safety standards in the UK’s private hire industry from the get go, unlike Uber.”
What are your thoughts, will Ola clean up or will Uber always reign supreme in the UK? Let us know what you think by leaving your comments below.
