Ride-hailing platform Ola has officially launched operations in London with over 25,000 registered drivers. Ola will be offering ride-hailing services in three categories: Comfort, Comfort XL and Exec ride classes.
To celebrate the launch, Ola is offering its passengers up to £25 worth of ride vouchers for signing up in the first week after launch.
London drivers joining the platform will benefit from six weeks of zero commission and market-leading commission rates, thereafter, enabling them to keep more of their earnings.
A big moment for all of us @Olacabs @OlainUK as we go live in #London! As a homegrown brand, this is a transformative event for all of us. We are excited to bring a differentiated mobility experience and welcome Londoners to #RideTheChange. Read more: https://t.co/EAlHOnHCBD pic.twitter.com/XKx8brVwbT
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) February 10, 2020
Ola has also announced that it has partnered with DriveTech (Part of the AA), consulting giant Mercer and Pearson to launch initiatives for drivers to ensure highest standard of driving skills, and driver customer service and communication.
Ola, through DriveTech (part of the AA) will use its driving risk assessment to improve the level of driving skills and knowledge of all drivers on the Ola platform in London. Each driver has completed a risk assessment and is given complimentary E-Learning modules to further accelerate their professional development. On completing these modules, they will receive a DriveTech Permit to Drive, attesting to their skills.
“Additionally, every Ola driver in London has passed the Versant spoken English test, from education experts Pearson plc, ensuring a high level of communication in English. They have also successfully completed Ola’s Customer Service Test, developed with global selection experts Mercer, ensuring they have the skills and mindset to deliver a great experience to their passengers,” Ola said in a statement.
Ola is also launching its flagship global safety feature, ‘Guardian’, which uses AI and machine learning to automatically detect irregular vehicle activity, a ‘Start Code’ feature to ensure customers and drivers are correctly matched, 24/7 voice support for riders and drivers, and a cap of six penalty points for drivers on its platform.
Simon Smith, Head of Ola International, said: “We are thrilled to now be live in London. This is a major milestone for our business and represents the next step in our ambitions to connect people in cities throughout the country. We are proud of the progress Ola has made in the UK and we look forward to building on our success by offering a differentiated service to Londoners, focused on quality, safety and reliability.”
Ola first launched outside India in Feb 2018 by launching in Australia, followed by UK launch in August 2018 and New Zealand in November 2018
Ola claims that over 85,000 driver-partners have registered on the Ola platform in Australia and New Zealand across 33 cities. In the UK, Ola is present across 28 regions with a network of over 35,000 drivers.