Ola, one of the world’s largest rideshare services to launch in New Zealand
New Zealand - September 18, 2018: Ola, one of the world's largest ridesharing platforms, has today announced its plans to enter New Zealand to provide
both drivers and passengers a fair and safe way to get around Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
Founded in 2011, Ola enables smart transportation to over 125 million users in India, Australia and the UK. Ola serves
as many as a billion rides annually through its platform.
Ola provides a fair deal for drivers and places the quality-of-rides for passengers at the heart of its approach. It
benefits drivers by charging the industry’s lowest commissions, resulting in higher driver earnings, and by paying
drivers daily rather than weekly.
For passengers, Ola also leads the rideshare industry with safety features including an in-app emergency button that
enables users to instantly share ride information including real-time car tracking with friends, family, and emergency
services with 24/7 support.
Ola is also recognised for its collaborative approach, working with national governments and local authorities, to help
solve transport issues in innovative and meaningful ways.
To build Ola’s presence locally, Brian Dewil has been appointed as Country Manager for New Zealand. Brian is a proven
business leader with over 15 years’ experience working in the technology and start up industry. He previously founded
UrbanSherpa, a firm that disrupted the local courier market and before his newly appointed 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.
Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO at Ola says, “We see a real opportunity in New Zealand to provide a fair alternative in the rideshare space for both customers and
drivers. We invested in understanding the New Zealand customer and devised the right strategy to meet their transport
needs.
We are the rideshare brand that cares and we are looking forward to creating high quality transport experiences for both
passengers and drivers in New Zealand.”
Ola takes a refreshed approach to ridesharing by investing in their drivers to arm them with the necessary tools, skills
and incentives to offer best-in-class transport experiences. Starting today Ola is inviting private vehicle owners to
learn more about driving and registering with Ola by visiting drive.olacabs.com to reap the benefits of a market low introductory commission rate of 9 per cent. More details about the wider launch of
Ola will be announced soon.
“Kiwis have had too little choice when it comes to rideshare. Ola’s arrival will create a compelling experience that puts
the quality of rides first. I’m excited to build the local team and business in New Zealand and provide a healthy
contribution to the nation’s local transport infrastructure”, says Brian Dewil, Country Manager NZ at Ola.
Ola’s launch into New Zealand follows its successful launch in Australia in February 2018 and the UK in August 2018. In
Australia, Ola now operates in seven major cities and has close to 50,000 registered drivers who have completed millions
of rides.
ENDS