After launch in Australia and UK, cab aggregator Ola drives to New Zealand

Indian ride-sharing major Ola on Tuesday said it will soon launch its services in New Zealand starting with Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

"Ola plans to enter New Zealand to provide both drivers and passengers a safe way to get around Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington," the city-based online cab aggregator said in a statement here.

The company however, did not specify the launch date of its services in New Zealand.

Ola's plans to launch in New Zealand comes after it forayed into Australia in February and the UK in August.

It currently operates in seven Australian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and in the UK's Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan, with plans to expand across the country by the year-end.

"We see an opportunity in New Zealand to provide a fair alternative in the ride share space for both customers and drivers. We invested in understanding the New Zealand customer and have devised the strategy to meet their transport needs," the company's Chief Executive Bhavish Aggarwal said.

The Bengaluru-based firm has appointed Brian Dewil, the co-founder of Auckland-based tech startup Horizon Robotics, as its country manager for New Zealand.

Founded in 2011, Ola, which claims to have 125 million users in 110 cities, has been competing against American ride-sharing major Uber in the cab-hailing market.