Indian taxi-hailing giant Ola has announced that it will move into the UK as it continues to challenge Uber around the world.
The giant taxi company, was founded in 2011 and has 125 million customers. Ola is currently operating in more than 100 cities. It intends to begin operating in the United Kingdom soon.
In comparision to Uber it will offer a choice of a private hire vehicle or black taxi.
Ola has stated that it is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by the end of 2018.
This move is the first serious challenge in the UK to market-leading taxi-hailing app Uber, which was founded two years earlier than Ola, has three million drivers and operates in 600 cities in 65 countries.
Currently, Ola only operates in two countries, the UK will be its third, after starting its first operations in Australia earlier this year.
Both companies count Japan’s Softbank as an investor, but the two already compete fiercely in India, although Uber pulled out of operating in South East Asia earlier this year.
Softbank is a major backer of the world’s leading taxi-hailing apps, with investments in Chinese giant Didi and Grab, although it has not invested in Uber’s chief US rival on its home soil, Lyft.