World ridesharing platform Ola launching in New Zealand

Ola, one of the world’s largest rideshare services, plans to launch in New Zealand shortly.

It will rival Uber and Zoomy here, while a female-only rideshare DriveHer plans to begin in Auckland later this year.

Ola has already begun inviting private vehicle owners to learn more about driving and registering with it in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

Brian Dewil has been appointed country manager for New Zealand. He has more than 15 years’ experience working in the technology and start up industry. Dewil previously founded UrbanSherpa, a firm that disrupted the local courier market. Before his role at Ola he was the co-founder and director of Horizon Robotics where he implemented robotic technologies to reimagine the way physical goods are transported and delivered.

“We see a real opportunity in New Zealand to provide a fair alternative in the rideshare space for both customers and drivers,” Ola co-founder and chief executive officer Bhavish Aggarwal says. “We invested in understanding the New Zealand customer and devised the right strategy to meet their transport needs.”

Ola’s foray into New Zealand follows its successful launch in Australia in February and the United Kingdom in August, enabling smart transportation to more than 125 million users in those two countries and India.

In Australia, Ola now operates in seven major cities and has nearly 50,000 registered drivers.

Ola is recognised for its collaborative approach, working with national governments and local authorities, to help solve transport issues in innovative and meaningful ways.

For passengers, safety features include an in-app emergency button that instantly shares ride information, including real-time car tracking, with friends, family and emergency services.

Ola supports electric vehicle use and piloted India’s first fully electric transport system in Nagpur in 2017. Since then it’s launched ‘Mission: Electric’ – an initiative to put a million EVs on the road by 2021.

Further details about the wider launch of Ola will be announced soon.

Visit drive.olacabs.com for more information.