Ride-hailing app Ola says exploring opportunities to work with local govt, communities in Australia

New Delhi: Bengaluru-based ride-hailing app Ola on Thursday said it is exploring opportunities with local governments and communities in Australia to invest in smarter transport infrastructure. The company, which launched its services in Australia in February this year, said it has facilitated over 1.5 million rides and on boarded more than 40,000 driver-partners within five months. “Ola is exploring opportunities with local governments and communities around Australia, to invest in smarter transport infrastructure and unlock the unique mobility needs of Australians to build high-quality rides, with affordable prices,” Ola Australia Managing Director Simon Smith told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_4497243” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ola cabs. Representational image.[/caption] Ola currently offers services in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra and Adelaide in Australia. The company has facilitated over 15,00,000 rides and has over 40,000 driver-partners signed up across Australia in five months, Smith said. “We view ourselves as the disruptors of Australian ridesharing…Driver-partners are clearly responding to having a viable rideshare platform that offers higher earnings," he added. Smith said Ola has also focused on community-initiatives like town hall-style meetings with its driver-partners. Ola, which competes with US-based rival Uber in the Indian and Australian market, had announced its plans to foray into the Australian market in January this year. Talking about the market, Smith said Australia is an attractive market that values fair competition and both customers and drivers have had limited rideshare options to choose between. “Aussies are very focused on fairness and being responsible consumers so really like that our driver partners are able to make a significantly higher income on Ola,” he said. Ola’s main competitor in the Australian market is Uber. Interestingly, SoftBank is also an investor in both the companies. The companies are already locked in an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market.