Ola founder compares its rivalry with Uber to Vietnam War

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has compared Ola's competition with arch rival Uber to Vietnam War, in which North Vietnam rebels used their familiarities with local terrain to expel American-led forces.

"(China's Didi Chuxing) versus Uber was like the World War II, but in India (Ola versus Uber) would be like the Vietnam War. We will be like the local guerrillas and move to the nooks and corners of our country," Aggarwal said.

Uber sold its operations to Didi in August last year; however, the end of that battle has given Uber time and resources to focus on other emerging markets, of which India is a major one.

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However, things have not been smooth in India for both Ola and Uber, as they have faced several problems, right from regulatory hurdles to driver protests.

Ola is making use of innovative programmes so that it can attract existing customers while retaining new ones in a highly competitive market.

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"We will innovate a lot in the next 4-5 years," said Aggarwal. "We will be the last company standing in this (sector) and we will be the one who will build a uniquely Indian business model."

One of these innovations is running electric vehicles as taxis, for which Ola has partnered with the Telangana government.

"We believe that electric vehicles can transform transportation completely in India by enabling lower cost of operation and ownership," said Aggarwal. Ola will partner with its largest investor SoftBank, so that it can provide solar charging to the electric vehicles.

(Image source: Wokeji)