Ola trumpets Kiwi success

Ridesharing company Ola is excited about its success in the New Zealand market so far.

Operating out of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Ola says it’s signed up 4000 drivers and ticked over 25,000 rides since it arrived in New Zealand on November 6.

Ola has used a 9% commission rate to get drivers on board, compared with Uber’s 25-28% commission and locally owned operator Zoomy’s 15%, the NZ Herald reports.

The Indian-based company will eventually raise its commission to 18% once the promotional period ends, with 18,000 people already downloading the Ola app, says NZ manager Brian Dewil says.

It is also using a special half price code to attract customers.

By comparison, Uber says it has 6500 drivers and 485,000 riders, while Zoomy has 3536 drivers, although it wouldn’t release the number of registered riders.

Dewil accepts many drivers will use the Ola, Uber and Zoomy apps, to “maximise their income”, which has become a common trend in other countries.