After UK and Australia markets, Ola officially announces its entry into New Zealand

Ola will offer customers a 50 percent discount on all its rides in New Zealand for the first month while driver partners will get a low introductory commission rate and daily payments.

Ola officially announced its entry into the New Zealand market with the launch of its operations in the cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The Bengaluru-based unicorn and cab aggregator had announced it would launch operations in the country a few months ago.

Customers in New Zealand can download the Ola app from the Google Play and iOS App stores, and register to begin booking rides. As an introductory offer, Ola will offer a 50 percent discount on its rides for the first month. The company will offer driver partners joining the platform to avail several benefits such as a low introductory commission rate of nine percent, as well as daily payments and 24/7 support.

Co-founded by Bhavish Aggrawal and Ankit Bhati in 2011, Ola had appointed Brian Dewil as Country Manager for New Zealand. Brian had previously founded UrbanSherpa and was the Co-Founder and Director of Horizon Robotics where he implemented robotic technologies to re-imagine how physical goods are transported and delivered.

“Entering New Zealand is an important step for Ola and the ridesharing industry here. Over recent weeks, we’ve received enthusiastic feedback from drivers across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch,” says Brian.

After the initial launch, the company claims the Ola app will be able to track feedback from its customers to enhance the rideshare experience as well as introduce new promotions and offers.

Earlier this year, the Bengaluru-based unicorn had launched in Australia and the UK. It operates in seven cities across Australia and claims to have over 50,000 drivers registered on its platform, having already completed more than two million rides.

Late last year, the ride-hailing company had raised $1.2 billion in funding from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, and since the beginning of this year, has been pushing deeper into international expansion.