Indian online cab aggregator Ola launches operations in Sydney

A month after international operations of Indian online cab aggregator started in Perth in Australia, the company said today that it has begun offering rides in Sydney through its local driver-partners.

"People of Sydney can avail the introductory offer for free rides. Customers can download the Ola app, register for an account and book their rides," the city-based ride-sharing platform said in a statement in Sydney.

On 30 January, the company had announced that it was starting operations in Australia to enter into the international market to rival US-based Uber. The company had also started hiring private vehicles and drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth over the fortnight.

Sydney and Melbourne are two of Australia's most populated cities.

On 14 February, Ola had started the soft launch of its services with two free rides in Perth with local partners.

According to the statement, since it started operations in Australia it had received more than 7,000 driver registrations in Sydney and Perth.

The company has not yet started operations in Melbourne.

"Ola's focus is on investing in driver-partners and supporting them with new technology, training, and ways to increase earnings," Ola said.

Uber which is Ola's main competitor in the Australian market, launched its operations in Australia in 2012 and currently operates in 19 Australian cities including the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

Ola and Uber are fighting an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market.

Their competition is not only in the ride-sharing space in India but also food delivery, with Ola acquiring Foodpanda's India business. US-based Uber, which counts as one of the world's most valued startups, runs on-demand food delivery app UberEATs in select Indian cities.

We are excited to officially start operating on the east coast with the launch in Sydney. We've been very pleased with how the service has been received by customers, driver-partners and the community in Perth, and can't wait to continue building on these experiences and learnings for our second city launch," Ola vice president, Chandra Nath said, PTI reported.