Ola expands operations to Sunshine Coast in Australia

Ride-hailing firm Ola on Friday said it has started operations in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, expanding its services in Australia.

The Bengaluru-based company, which competes with US-based ride-hailing firm Uber in multiple markets, had launched its services in Australia in February last year.

"Having been present in Australia's most-populous cities, Ola received a large number of requests from drivers and customers alike to introduce its services in other parts of the country. Sunshine Coast was chosen due to the bustling tourism industry and the need for more choice in the local rideshare market," Ola said in a statement.

Ola has over 1.5 million drivers across 250 cities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and India.

"We have seen a tremendous response to our offerings across the country as customer demand has been on an upward trend. After seeing a large number of requests to introduce our services in other parts of the country, we have chosen the Sunshine Coast as Ola's first launch in a non-metro city in Australia," Ola Managing Director (Australia and New Zealand) Simon Smith said.

He added that the company is now present across eight cities in Australia.