Indian Ride-Share Company Ola Has Launched in Sydney

Another day, another international ride-share company driving around the streets of Australia. This time, it's an Indian-born platform called Ola, which we're told operates in over 110 cities, hosting a whopping one billion annual rides worldwide. That's over two million trips each day, and growing fast.

A mere few months after rival Taxify hit the country, Ola has followed up its February launch in Perth by zooming into Sydney, with Melbourne also part of its future plans. To entice Sydneysiders into giving it a go, it's also offering free rides for new users — although, to get the details, you have to download the app first. When it did the same thing in Perth, customers received two free rides up to $10 each, which won't get you far in Sydney.

The company counts its driver-partner focused approach as its main point of difference, hoping to tempt Australian drivers with incentives and upskilling opportunities. As Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal explains, that should result in a more competitive industry all round. "With a strong focus on driver-partners and the community at large, we aim to create a high-quality and affordable travel experience for citizens and look forward to contributing to a healthy mobility ecosystem in Australia," he said.