An Indian car-booking service named Ola is targeting Uber’s business in London. The plan is to defeat Uber on price and capture the top market share within a year. Tim Bradshaw reports for the Financial Times:
Ola believes it can unseat Uber as London’s top car-booking service within a year, an executive at the Indian company has said, as the two SoftBank-backed companies prepare for battle in one of the world’s toughest transport markets.
Bengaluru-based Ola will make its long-awaited debut in London on Monday, six months after obtaining a permit from Transport for London. It is hoping that a focus on safety, rather than aggressive discounting, will allow it to leapfrog existing competitors such as Kapten, Gett and Bolt.
“I think it’s fair to say we’ll be disappointed if we are not number two,” in London within six months, said Simon Smith, head of international at Ola, adding that it hopes to topple the city’s market leader Uber “within a year”.
“By offering a better deal for customers and drivers, we will become the market leader in London and the rest of the UK,” Mr Smith said.
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