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<ul><li>Indian ride-hailing unicorn Ola has expanded its operations in the UK. </li><li>Ola is now present in 7 cities in the UK. </li><li>The company is not launching auto-rickshaws in the UK, had only used them in Liverpool for a promotional campaign last week.</li></ul>Indian cab aggregator Ola has expanded its operations in the United Kingdom and has launched services in three new cities in the UK – Liverpool, Birmingham and Reading. This takes Ola’s presence to a total of seven cities in the UK. Local councils in the UK have granted the platform with Taxi and Private Hire licenses. The company said that Ola is the only app in the UK that offers both black cabs and Private Hire Vehicles while also giving drivers highest share of the revenue – charging just 10% commission to black cabs and 15% to PHVs. “Thanks to the positive word-of-mouth from both driver-partners and passengers who experienced our offerings in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, and Exeter, we received requests from users across the UK to introduce the Ola platform in their cities,” said Ben Legg, Managing Director of <keyword id="6775956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-UK">Ola UK</keyword>. Photos of Ola’s tuk tuks spotted Liverpool had become a talking point in social media. However, the company said that it has not launched auto rickshaws in the UK. The auto rickshaws were a part of the promotional campaign where it offered customers free rides on green tuk-tuks last week. Over the next seven months, Ola plans to expand its operations to North England and the Midlands. The Indian ride-hailing unicorn had already made its presence felt in Australia and New Zealand before moving to the European markets. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-will-race-zoomcar-in-self-drive-car-rentals-with-a-500-million-bet/articleshow/68614269.cms">Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-takes-on-mahindra-glyd-with-fresh-funds-wheres-uber/articleshow/68214440.cms">Ola gets fresh funds to take on Mahindra’s Glyd – where’s Uber?</a>

Ola onboards 3 more cities in the UK, uses tuk-tuks only for promotion

Ride-hailing platform <keyword id="6354720" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola">Ola</keyword> on Thursday said it has appointed Mike <keyword id="6585757" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="rake">Rake</keyword> as non-executive Chairman and <keyword id="11292176" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="leon-daniels">Leon Daniels</keyword> as an independent non-executive director to the Ola UK Board. Rake and Daniels will draw on deep experience across the private and public sectors to provide the strongest possible oversight, corporate governance, and strategic counsel to Ola as it continues to grow and scale, Ola said in a statement. They will join Balasubrahmanyam Vijay Juturi, alongside Marc Rozendal (<keyword id="24973" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="managing-director">Managing Director</keyword>, Ola UK) and Karl Lutzow (Operations Director, Ola UK) on the board, it added. "We are delighted to welcome Sir Mike and Leon to the Ola UK Board. As a scaled, global business with a major presence in the UK, the appointment of such high-quality independent board members underlines our commitment to the UK and the scale of our ambition in this dynamic market," Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO at Ola, said. Ola had launched operations in the UK in 2018. Currently, Ola operates across 27 local authorities, including Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol. It has also expanded its offering for UK riders, including the launch of <keyword id="3202683" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-Corporate">Ola Corporate</keyword>. Sir Mike Rake is one of the UK's leading business figures. He joins Ola having previously served in a range of senior boardroom roles, including as Chairman of Worldpay Group plc (2015-2018), BT Group plc (2007-2017), EasyJet plc (2010-2013) and International Chairman of <keyword id="50041" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="KPMG">KPMG</keyword> (2002-2007), along with serving as President of the <keyword id="50463" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Confederation-of-British-Industry">Confederation of British Industry</keyword> (2013-2015). "The application of technology to mobility holds out an exciting future of cleaner, safer and more efficient transportation for millions of UK passengers, and I look forward to helping Ola continue to do what they do best - innovate for the benefit of society," Rake said. Leon Daniels served as Managing Director, Surface Transport at Transport for London until 2017 and previously held the position of Commercial Director at UK Bus, overseeing new ventures in the UK and international transport. In 2019, he was awarded an OBE for Services to Transport in recognition of his expertise and experience across the UK, Europe, and Asia. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrency-crash-brings-down-binance-wazirx-and-other-exchanges-users-fume-as-orders-fail/articleshow/82793305.cms">Cryptocurrency crash brings down Binance, WazirX and other exchanges – users fume as orders fail</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/a-cup-of-regular-tea-has-never-been-this-expensive-in-india-thanks-to-kooky-weather/articleshow/82792489.cms">A cup of regular tea has never been this expensive in India, thanks to kooky weather</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/the-first-seat-on-jeff-bezos-rocket-to-space-is-selling-for-a-record-high-of-2-8-million/articleshow/82791575.cms">The first seat on Jeff Bezos’ rocket to space is selling for a record high of $2.8 million</a>

Ola appoints Mike Rake as non-executive chairman and Leon Daniels as non-executive director to the UK board

<ul><li><keyword id="6354720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola">Ola</keyword> launched its services in two new cities in the UK – Coventry and Warwick.</li><li>Ola is currently operating in 9 cities in the UK.</li><li>It will also offer 50% off on all its rides for the first two weeks in the areas. </li></ul>Indian ride-hailing unicorn Ola expanded its offerings in the UK and launched in two more cities – Coventry and Warwick. With this, Ola is now operating in 9 cities in the UK. “We have learnt a great deal in the last twelve months since the launch, and feel immensely proud that our drivers have already provided over one million rides across the UK,” said Alok Pandya, Ola’s regional manager for the West Midlands, Coventry and Warwick. Ola will offer 50% off on all its rides in the first two weeks of its operations in these two cities. Coventry in UK is famous for its ‘black cabs’ for over 70 years now. It also incentivised the switch over to electric cabs. Ola seems to be honouring the tradition of black cabs by being the only app that can be used by both black cabs and private hire vehicles (PHVs) in the area. In March 2019, Ola expanded to Liverpool, Birmingham and Reading. Ola already made its presence felt in Australia and New Zealand before moving to Europe. Ola’s expansion news comes as the company is reportedly going for an IPO soon. The rumours of a possible IPO turned strong after it raised fresh funding of ₹35.88 crores from Seoul-based ARK Ola pre-IPO Fund. The Bhavish Aggarwal-led company has been actively entering new markets across the world, and had also recently set up a technology hub in the Bay Area.

Ola completes a million rides in the UK and expands to two more cities

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Shailesh Andrade/ReutersBhavish Aggarwal, chief executive of Uber's main rival in India, Ola</div></div></div><ul><li>Indian ride-hailing startup Ola plans to launch in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> and take on Uber.</li><li>Ola will initially launch in Greater Manchester and south Wales but is yet to submit an application for a London licence.</li><li>Uber is the dominant ride-hailing company in the UK, with around 5 million customers.</li><li>The launch means a major investor in both Ola and Uber, SoftBank, is effectively going to war with itself.</li></ul> Indian ride-hailing company Ola plans to launch in the UK, signalling more competition for incumbent Uber.Ola will open operations in Greater Manchester and south Wales, including capital Cardiff, within the next month. The company said it was working with regulators to launch nationwide by the end of the year, but is yet to submit an application for a London licence.Like Uber, Ola operates a ride-hailing service through an app and relies on the availability of contracted drivers. It is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-will-probably-quit-india-and-korea-next-2018-2?IR=T">hugely popular in its home market of India</a>, where Uber also operates. Uber has around 5 million customers in the UK, while Ola says it has about 125 million outside the UK.Ola's launch means its biggest investor is effectively going to war with itself in the UK. Both Ola and Uber share a major backer: Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank. Ola was reportedly <a href="https://www.firstpost.com/business/ola-cabs-may-be-raising-2-bn-from-softbank-tencent-in-battle-for-market-with-uber-4104073.html">raising $2 billion from SoftBank and other investors last October</a>, and the Japanese firm <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-softbank-tender/softbank-is-now-ubers-largest-shareholder-as-deal-closes-idUSKBN1F72WL">took a 20% stake in Uber at the beginning of this year</a>.Like every similar service, Ola has come in for criticism for <a href="https://factordaily.com/ola-contract-driver-analysis/">the way it treats drivers in terms of pay and their employment status</a>. The company said people can hail both private hire cabs and black taxis through its app. This is a differentiator from Uber, which only offers private hire vehicles.Ola claimed it offered "higher earnings and daily payments," but didn't give further details. Business Insider has requested clarification. The company also said its drivers are fully screened, and that it offers 24-hour support to passengers, options to share ride details with contacts, and in-app emergency features.Bhavish Aggarwal, chief executive of Ola, said in a statement: "Ola is excited to announce its plans for the UK, one of the world's most evolved transportation markets. The UK is a fantastic place to do business and we look forward to providing a responsible, compelling, new service that can help the country meet its ever demanding mobility needs." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-features-coming-to-the-iphone-in-ios-12-this-fall-2018-7">Top 9 features coming to the iPhone in iOS 12</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Indian cab-hailing giant Ola has launched in the UK to challenge Uber - and they both share a big investor

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Shailesh Andrade/ReutersBhavish Aggarwal, chief executive of Uber's main rival in India, Ola</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will launch in London on February 10.</li><li>Like Uber, Ola lets users summon a cab via an app.</li><li>Uber is the most popular ridehailing service in the UK, but its continued presence in London has been threatened after the regulator declined to renew its license in the capital.</li><li>Despite being a competitor to Uber, Ola shares a major backer as it has taken funding from Japanese mega-investor SoftBank.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>London is getting yet another cab-hailing app.India's Ola is coming to the UK capital, more than a year after launching in other UK cities.Like Uber, Ola offers an easy-to-use app which lets passengers summon a private-hire cab at the click of a button.The underlying business model is also much the same, with drivers signing up as independent contractors to the app, which takes a cut of their fares. Ola isn't disclosing how much commission it's charging, but says it won't take any cut of London drivers' fares for the first six weeks of operating.Ola has been running a service in the UK since the summer of 2018 in regional cities including Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick. It landed its license to operate a service in London in July 2019, and confirmed its intention to expand <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ride-hailing-firm-ola-london-launch-after-uber-ban-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">its service to the UK capital in November</a>.The news brings Ola into competition with the raft of ridehailing services already operating in London, such as Uber, Bolt/Taxify, and Kapten.Like these incumbents, Ola is offering new users discounts for signing up to the app, as well the lower commission to lure in drivers.Although Ola says its service is differentiated from competitors and it works more collaboratively with regulators, that differentiation may not be particularly clear to consumers who now face a dazzling array of ridehailing apps to choose from.Ola's arrival in London also ups the pressure on Uber, which is the dominant ride-hailing service in the UK and counts London as its biggest European market.Uber has locked horns with London's transport regulator, Transport for London (TfL) for the past few years over safety issues around its service.In November, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-loses-london-licence-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Uber lost its license to operate in London</a> after the regulator found drivers operating fraudulently on its platform. The firm is appealing that decision but, if it loses, it will be forced to quit the capital.Ola declined to comment publicly when asked how it might avoid similar problems, but said it operated a 24/7 call centre for passengers with complaints. One source close to the firm told Business Insider that TfL had taken the robustness of Ola's safety measures and tech into account as part of its decision to grant an operating license.<h2>Ola and Uber share the same major investor</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Carlo Allegri/ReutersUber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.</div></div></div>Awkwardly, Ola and Uber share a major backer in Japanese mega-investor SoftBank.SoftBank invested almost $8 billion in Uber. It is thought to have invested a smaller amount in Ola although the total figure is unclear. Ola has raised $3.8 billion in funding to date.Simon Smith, head of Ola International said: "The overwhelmingly positive reception to Ola since launching in the UK in 2018 illustrates the significant demand from drivers, riders and communities. We are working closely with drivers to build a high quality and reliable service for Londoners. Launching in London is a major milestone for us and we are keen to offer a first class experience for all our customers."Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Uber.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/10-up-and-coming-fintechs?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=uber&amp;itm_campaign=10-up-and-coming-fintechs-2"></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-spacex-blew-up-rocket-on-purpose-2020-1">SpaceX and NASA just blew up a Falcon 9 rocket on purpose, and it has something to do with Apollo 1</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Ola, another SoftBank-backed cab startup, will launch in London just as Uber faces being booted from the city

New Delhi, Jan 31 () Cab hailing platform Ola on Friday said it will commence its services in London from February 10.
 "The platform will be fully operational from day one, with over 20,000 drivers having registered on the platform since it began on-boarding a month ago," Ola said in a statement.
 It added that the company aims to offer a differentiated experience on the platform with features such as 24/7 helplines for drivers and customers and an in-app emergency button, while providing the best quality of service through its large network of drivers across the city of London.
 Ola had received an operating licence from Transport for London (TfL) last year.
 "The overwhelmingly positive reception to Ola since launching in the UK in 2018 illustrates the significant demand from drivers, riders and communities. We are working closely with drivers to build a high quality and reliable service for Londoners. Launching in London is a major milestone for us and we are keen to offer a first class experience for all our customers," Head of Ola International Simon Smith said.
 Ola will offer passengers 25 pounds worth of ride credit for signing up in the first week after the launch.
 The Bengaluru-based firm had forayed into the UK with operations starting in Cardiff in 2018 and will now operate across 28 local authorities. It has expanded across Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick.
 Ola said cities including Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick have seen more than double-digit growth in rides in the last quarter.
 To date, the company has provided over 3 million rides with more than 11,000 drivers already operating on the platform in the UK, it added.
 Ola's service is available in over 250 cities in India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. SR RUJ

Ola to start London operations from Feb 10

New Delhi, Nov 26 () Cab hailing platform Ola on Tuesday said it will soon begin its operations in London and has started onboarding licensed drivers in the region.
Ola had received an operating licence from Transport for London (TfL) earlier this year.
"Ola has begun registering licenced drivers in London as it prepares to launch operations in the city...With this, over 50,000 licensed drivers will be able to join Ola and provide mobility services in London," a statement said.
The Bengaluru-based firm had forayed into the UK with operations starting in Cardiff in August last year. It has expanded across Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick in the UK.
"Today, we are inviting the tens of thousands of PHV drivers across London to register themselves on the Ola platform, as we prepare to launch in the city in the coming weeks. We have built a robust mobility platform for London which is fully compliant with TfL's high standards," Ola Head of International Simon Smith said.
He added that the company has had constructive conversations with the authorities, drivers, and local communities in London over the past months.
"...(we) and look forward to contributing towards solving mobility issues in innovative and meaningful ways," he said.
Ola's service is available in over 250 cities in India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. SR BAL

Ola to launch operations in London soon

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Shailesh Andrade/ReutersBhavish Aggarwal, chief executive of Uber's main rival in India, Ola</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian ride-hailing firm Ola has said it's readying an on-demand cab service to launch in London in the coming weeks. It's likely to be ready in early 2020. </li><li>The announcement comes one day after Uber lost its license to operate in the city.</li><li>Ola's impending launch in London is notable because the firm shares a major investor with Uber, Japanese mega-investor SoftBank. Ola took apparent shots at its rival's misfortunes, amping up its driver verification features. </li><li>Ola was founded in India and has been operating in the UK since 2018, but only obtained a license to operate in London in the summer of 2019. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.</a></li></ul>Indian ride-hailing service Ola has announced it is readying an on-demand cab service to launch in London in the coming weeks.Business Insider understands Ola plans to have its service available in London from January 2020.Ola is a rival to Uber and provides a similar service, but the two companies also share a big financial backer in Japanese mega-investor SoftBank. SoftBank invested almost $8 billion in Uber. It is thought to have invested a smaller amount in Ola although the total figure is unclear. Ola has raised $3.8 billion in funding to date.Ola's announcement comes a day after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-loses-london-licence-2019-11?r=US&amp;IR=T">Uber lost its license to operate in London</a>, after the city's transport regulator found fraudulent drivers operating on its platform. Transport for London said fraudulent drivers had conducted some 14,000 journeys, meaning passengers were accepting rides with Uber drivers who weren't who they said they were.Transport for London's decision has jeopardized Uber's position in the UK capital, which is one of its biggest markets globally with some 3.5 million users. The city is one of the company's top five revenue-generating hubs, the firm has said in public filings.Despite the shared financial backer, Ola appeared to take shots at its rival's misfortunes, specifically the issue of fraudulent drivers.Ola said it would compare images on drivers' licenses with the photo they upload to its app. It claimed it would use facial-recognition technology to authenticate drivers, and said it would only allow licensed drivers onto its platform.Business Insider understands that this is a technology introduced voluntarily by Ola, rather than a request by the transport regulator.The firm added it would not allow drivers who have been blocked by London's transport regulator onto its app. Uber lost its license partly because it had allowed a driver whose license was revoked by the regulator on its platform.Ola launched in the UK in August 2018, and has been operating in cities outside of London. The company won a license to operate in London in July 2019.The company didn't give a specific London launch date, but said it had begun signing up licensed drivers.Simon Smith, Ola's head of international, said in a statement: "Today, we are inviting the tens of thousands of [private-hire] drivers across London to register themselves on the Ola platform, as we prepare to launch in the city in the coming weeks."We have built a robust mobility platform for London which is fully compliant with TfL's high standards. We have had constructive conversations with the authorities, drivers, and local communities in London over the past months, and look forward to contributing towards solving mobility issues in innovative and meaningful ways."Uber on Monday said it would appeal Transport for London's licensing decision. It can continue operating in London while it appeals.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=uber&amp;itm_campaign=future-of-retail-2"></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/we-used-the-motorola-droid-on-its-10th-anniversary-2019-11">I used the 10-year-old original Motorola Droid for a week</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Indian cab app Ola plans to take on Uber in London in 2020, and they happen to share the same big investor

<ul><li>The feature has been rolled out to all <keyword id="6354720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola">Ola</keyword> users across India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in a bid to help the company's over 2.5 million global driver community, Ola said, adding that the drivers will retain 100 per cent of the tip.</li><li>The cashless tipping feature will appear in the final step of the payment phase and will allow customers to select a fixed or customised amount that will translate to higher earning potential for these drivers.</li></ul> Ride-hailing major Ola on Tuesday rolled out new cashless 'tipping functionality that enables customers to voluntarily reward drivers for going the extra mile to deliver a safe ride experience amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The feature has been rolled out to all Ola users across India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK in a bid to help the company's over 2.5 million global driver community, Ola said, adding that the drivers will retain 100 per cent of the tip. "Since the beginning of the pandemic, our driver-partners worked tirelessly to enable essential travel for all those in need, despite facing their own challenges," Ola spokesperson <keyword id="1030402" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anand-Subramanian">Anand Subramanian</keyword> said in a statement. "As services resume, they continue to personally invest in ensuring the safety of their customers and deliver a comfortable ride experience. Linking rewards to higher-quality services, we invite our customers to join us in sharing our appreciation and supporting them during these trying times." Starting Tuesday, the cashless tipping feature will appear in the final step of the payment phase and will allow customers to select a fixed or customised amount that will translate to higher earning potential for these drivers. Driving awareness around this, Ola has also launched a social media campaign, #SayThanksWithATip, which seeks to recognise and reward those drivers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to deliver a great ride experience while drawing a spotlight on their efforts.

Ola introduces in-app 'tipping' facility globally

New Delhi, Feb 10 () Ride-hailing major Ola expects London to play an important role in its global road map, and believes that entry into this market is the beginning of its "journey to be the preeminent global force". The company, which has launched its services in London, has already onboarded over 25,000 drivers on its platform. "London is truly the beginning of our journey to be the preeminent global force and player in our industry. Very few Indian brands have gone global with this scale and ambition and our journey and success will become a benchmark," Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in an e-mail to employees. He added that the next three months are "crucial to scale operations, be nimble on our feet to counter competition moves and above all, deliver a differentiated customer experience to 'wow' the consumers". He said the company will maintain its differentiated focus on drivers, safety and a collaborative approach with local authorities and regulators. Aggarwal said London is one of the most important global cities in general, and is one of the biggest markets in size for the industry. Ola had received an operating licence from Transport for London (TfL) earlier last year. "So, building the right business for all stakeholders...has been a key focus for us... We have been able to focus on consumer and driver experience significant and improving the quality and proposition of safety and truly moving the industry forward," he said. The Bengaluru-based firm had entered the UK with operations starting in Cardiff in August last year. It has expanded across Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick in the UK. Ola's service is available in over 250 cities in India, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. SR HRS

Ola bets on London to become preeminent global force

<ul><li>Ola has been advertising its new feature Ola restrooms – an on-demand mobile toilet van. </li><li>While Ola restrooms joins the legacy of Ola’s epic April Fool’s day pranks, it is also a part of the company’s social mission. </li><li>Soon, Ola users can contribute ₹1 per ride to make way for clean toilets in India. </li></ul>Over the past two days, Indian ride-hailing startup Ola has been relentlessly advertising about its new feature – Ola restrooms – a mobile toilet van for you to use the bathroom whenever and wherever you need. And before you say it’s a ridiculous idea, well it’s an April Fool’s Day prank by the company. However, that’s not it. Ola is driving home a bigger message through the prank. Twitter users had already started calling out Ola for using toilets as a prank given that India ranks highest in various issues related to sanitation. In fact, a report done by WaterAid shows some really troubling numbers for India – 732 million people still “suffer from fear and indignity of relieving themselves in the open or in unsafe or unhygienic toilets”, more than 355 million women and girls have to wait in long queues just for access to the toilet making India top the list for the longest queue for the toilet. Turning around its April Fool’s Day prank, Ola is now offering its riders a chance to contribute and make way for access to toilets in India. They have partnered with Gramalaya, an organisation dedicated to providing better water and sanitary facilities in rural areas. Through this partnership, starting April 2 Ola users can voluntarily contribute ₹1 per ride to Gramalaya. Over the years, Ola has almost always played a prank on its users on April Fool’s starting from announcing Ola newsroom to Ola Air – a chopper service. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-is-now-present-in-3-more-cities-in-the-united-kingdom/articleshow/68629114.cms">Ola onboards 3 more cities in the UK, uses tuk-tuks only for promotion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-will-race-zoomcar-in-self-drive-car-rentals-with-a-500-million-bet/articleshow/68614269.cms">Ola will race Zoomcar in self-drive car rentals with a $500 million bet</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/ola-takes-on-mahindra-glyd-with-fresh-funds-wheres-uber/articleshow/68214440.cms">Ola gets fresh funds to take on Mahindra’s Glyd – where’s Uber?</a>

Ola uses an April Fool's Day prank to drive home a message – India needs more toilets

<ul><li><keyword id="225032" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sachin-Bansal">Sachin Bansal</keyword> is said to be preparing a $100 million investment in the cab-hailing firm, according to a report in the Economic Times. </li><li>Last month, Ola raised raised $50 million from a state-backed Chinese investment fund and a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, giving it a valuation of over $4 billion. </li><li>Ola is looking to raise fresh capital to facilitate its overseas expansion plans and boost its domestic food delivery business. </li></ul>Raising capital for expansion plans doesn’t seem to be a problem for Ola. Barely a month after it <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/hjEZYQ3lV0p1LXuSOUoiGK/Ola-raises-50-million-from-new-Chinese-investors-at-43-bi.html">raised $50 million</a> from a state-backed Chinese investment fund and a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/sachin-bansal-may-back-ola-with-100-million-investment/articleshow/66156948.cms">a report </a>in the Economic Times states that the Indian ride-hailing firm could receive up to $100 million (₹7.4 billion) from Sachin Bansal, one of the co-founders of <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>. The $50 million investment last month gave Ola a valuation of over $4 billion. It came as part of the ride-hailing firm’s plan to raise $1 billion in fresh capital to facilitate its overseas expansion plans as well its boost its food delivery business and continue its domestic rivalry with <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>. It recently commenced operations in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/uber-ola-launch-melbourne-2018-4">several Australian cities</a> and<a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/Gb1LhciheDr9j4waCCOgSO/Ola-launches-services-in-UK.html"> the UK </a>and is set to launch in New Zealand this month. The UK launch in August 2018 was speculated to be a precursor to an eventual expansion into other European markets. The company plans to be operational <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/ola-plans-to-reach-50-global-cities-by-2019-hunts-for-investors/story/284236.html">in 50 major cities </a>across the world by next year. Meanwhile, Bansal is flush with cash and is looking for ways to spend it. While the Ola investment represents a change of pace from his relatively modest investments in the past, he is said to be mainly interested in taking significant stakes in early-stage companies at the moment. The 37-year old earned close to $1 billion from the sale of his 5.5% stake in Flipkart to <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword>. The transaction was completed in August. Bansal left the Indian e-commerce company shortly after Walmart’s takeover of Flipkart was finalised in May. According to media reports, Walmart <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/features/sachin-bansal-quits-flipkart-as-walmart-wanted-only-one-founder-on-board/articleshow/64103047.cms">was not keen</a> on retaining both of Flipkart’s co-founders, hence one of them had to leave. Ola will reportedly facilitate Bansal’s investment through the issuance of new shares and in smaller measure, the sale of existing shares. The deal represents a melding of two of India’s foremost entrepreneurs - Bansal and Bhavish Agarwal, the CEO of Ola. Agarwal has reportedly been <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/xBREbzT0x6b0ighbICzMiJ/Ola-boardroom-row-pits-SoftBank-against-Bhavish-Aggarwal.html">engaged in a tussle </a>with the cab service’s main investor, Softbank, since May for control of the company. Bansal is likely an ally in this regard, as Agarwal needs fresh funding but doesn't want to raise it from Softbank, because that will increase the Japanese company's stake.

One of the co-founders of Flipkart could be readying a $100 million investment in Ola

New Delhi, Dec 6 () Ride hailing firm Ola on Friday said it aims to double the scale of business in Australia and New Zealand by 2021.
 The company announced to expand its presence to 33 locations from 11 cities in these countries January with the roll-out of service expected to start from next week onwards.
 "With over 85,000 driver-partners signed up, Ola is the fastest-growing ride sharing player in the region. The company aims to double its scale by 2021," Ola said in a statement.
 A company source said the firm is looking to double the scale of business across parameters such as revenue, customers, driver-partners and the number of rides.
 Currently, the company provides service in three cities in New Zealand and eight cities in Australia.
 Ola said it is "set to launch in 11 new locations each in Australia and New Zealand, taking its total presence across 33 cities in the region".
 "We have seen a phenomenal response to our services across Australia and New Zealand since our launch in February last year. Ola's competitive edge lies in offering better value fares to customers and a better deal for drivers, who earn more from every ride, and bringing industry-leading safety-tech innovations to the local market," said Simon Smith, head of international, Ola.
 Ola began its international foray last year with Australia being the first country to launch. Within a span of a few months, Ola expanded its services to the UK and then New Zealand in quick succession.
 Recently, Ola was granted a Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) licence by the Transport for London and is subsequently starting to onboard drivers ahead of launching its service in London.
 The source said Ola will start operating in all new cities in Australia and New Zealand by the mid of January. PRS HRS

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