Ola aims to double scale of business in Australia and New Zealand

Ride hailing firm Ola on Friday said it aims to double the scale of business in Australia and New Zealand by 2021.

The company announced to expand its presence to 33 locations from 11 cities in these countries January with the roll-out of service expected to start from next week onwards.

"With over 85,000 driver-partners signed up, Ola is the fastest-growing ride sharing player in the region. The company aims to double its scale by 2021," Ola said in a statement.

A company source said the firm is looking to double the scale of business across parameters such as revenue, customers, driver-partners and the number of rides.

Currently, the company provides service in three cities in New Zealand and eight cities in Australia.

Ola said it is "set to launch in 11 new locations each in Australia and New Zealand, taking its total presence across 33 cities in the region".

"We have seen a phenomenal response to our services across Australia and New Zealand since our launch in February last year. Ola's competitive edge lies in offering better value fares to customers and a better deal for drivers, who earn more from every ride, and bringing industry-leading safety-tech innovations to the local market," said Simon Smith, head of international, Ola.

Ola began its international foray last year with Australia being the first country to launch. Within a span of a few months, Ola expanded its services to the UK and then New Zealand in quick succession.

Recently, Ola was granted a Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licence by the Transport for London and is subsequently starting to onboard drivers ahead of launching its service in London.

The source said Ola will start operating in all new cities in Australia and New Zealand by the mid of January.