# New Uber competitor called Ola - Ola began recruiting drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth today.



## QLDUberDriver (Jan 23, 2016)

This is interesting news thats for sure and possibly could shake things up against Uber in Australia. Uber has some competition here but hardly worth mentioning. Or is this Uber part 2 for crappy earnings?

See article link below:

*Indian ride-hail player Ola is taking its fight against Uber global, starting with Australia*

*Ola, which has often touted its home-field advantage over Uber, expects to expand to a number of other countries, as well.*








​Indian ride-hail player Ola is charting foreign waters for the first time since it was founded seven years ago. In a move signaling its intent to expand into Australia, Ola began recruiting drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth today.

This will be the second market that Ola will be going head to head against Uber in. But in India, Ola has long touted its home-field advantage over its aggressive competitor, often attributing its ability to expand geographically and the services it offers to the company's acute understanding of the nuances of the market.

Australia will be a very different battle for Ola, which in SoftBank shares an investor with Uber. The company, which has yet to give a timeline for when it will launch the service in Australia, says it expects to apply a lot of the same tactics that worked in India, such as a strong collaboration with local governments and a focus on drivers.

Ola's shift from focusing entirely on winning in India - a huge and complex market with hundreds of languages and cultures - to expanding globally is a big move. In fact, the company, which recently raised $1.1 billion, has its sights set on launching in other countries, too. Ola would not disclose what those markets are.

This move comes as Didi, a Chinese ride-hail player - and Ola investor - solidifies its foothold in new markets.

For years, Didi had flirted with an international presence through investments in companies that operated in places like India, Southeast Asia, Brazil and Europe. But the company formalized its global expansion through an acquisition of Brazilian ride-hail company 99.

Uber, on the other hand, is looking to cut its losses as it shoots for a 2019 IPO under new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Part of that may involve rethinking its worldwide presence. Khosrowshahi, for instance, has conceded that the company won't be profitable in Southeast Asia for a while. Already, Uber has merged its business in Russia and China with its competitors Yandex.Taxi and Didi, respectively.

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal wrote that he sees significant potential in Australia, where Uber has operated without strong opposition. But Ola isn't alone in attempting to take on the ride-hail behemoth - Europe-based Taxify also recently launched in Australia.

https://www.recode.net/2018/1/29/16948838/ola-india-australia-ride-hail-uber

OLA must have heard about the large numbers of ultra cheap pax wanting more bang for their buck. This pic found on the Indian website .

I hope these get put in the system for those deserving free mints, water and royal treatment.


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

Ok I'm renting a Tuk Tuk and signing up with these guys when they come to Adelaide.


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## Jack Malarkey (Jan 11, 2016)

everythingsuber said:


> Ok I'm renting a Tuk Tuk and signing up with these guys when they come to Adelaide.


Reminds you of Thailand?


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

Jack Malarkey said:


> Reminds you of Thailand?


Tuk Tuks are a tourist trap in Thailand. Usually drivers hustling. The rides cost next to nothing but the unsuspecting passengers mostly end up at fake gold jewelry shop a really bad tailor or a soapy massage establishment. The drivers collect substantial commission from said establishments. Could possibly work in Sydney now I think of it?


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## joffie (Jan 31, 2016)

everythingsuber said:


> Tuk Tuks are a tourist trap in Thailand. Usually drivers hustling. The rides cost next to nothing but the unsuspecting passengers mostly end up at fake gold jewelry shop a really bad tailor or a soapy massage establishment. The drivers collect substantial commission from said establishments. Could possibly work in Sydney now I think of it?


Yep, they cost stuff all to run but the drivers rip you a new one like tomorrow doesn't exist. Have spent a lot of time in Thailand and the rule is to avoid these thieves. Unfortunately Thailand has ruined themselves by ripping off the tourist, now they are stuck with the zero value tourists.


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## QLDUberDriver (Jan 23, 2016)

everythingsuber said:


> Tuk Tuks are a tourist trap in Thailand. Usually drivers hustling. The rides cost next to nothing but the unsuspecting passengers mostly end up at fake gold jewelry shop a really bad tailor or a soapy massage establishment. The drivers collect substantial commission from said establishments. Could possibly work in Sydney now I think of it?


Plenty of "Theraputic" massage places around these days in Australia. They have popped up more than Mcdonalds locations lol


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## everythingsuber (Sep 29, 2015)

QLDUberDriver said:


> Plenty of "Theraputic" massage places around these days in Australia. They have popped up more than Mcdonalds locations lol


More than in Bangkok actually.


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