Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms, has launched in Birmingham, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Solihull, Dudley and Sandwell, giving passengers a new and convenient way to hail a black cab or private hire vehicle.
Headquartered in India, the global ride-hailing company celebrated its new roots (and routes) in the Midlands with a performance by the Bollywood community dance troop, Desi Nach, at Victoria Square. Ola will also be offering free rides to the local community in Ola green tuk-tuks across Birmingham city centre this Saturday.
A pioneering technology company, Ola will transform the use of transport in the Midlands, enabling the local community and visitors to the area to benefit from greater travel choice, with quicker and easier access to taxis across the Black Country. First time riders will also be able to receive their first ride free (up to £10) and their next five ride at 50% off (up to £5 per ride), by downloading the app and booking a journey before 31st May.
Ben Legg, Managing Director of Ola UK, said:
“On Saturday we will be celebrating our Midlands launch by taking to the road with a fleet of tuk-tuks to give lifts to locals. This will mark the start of more travel and employment choices for Brummies and across the Black Country, as we seek to bring on more drivers into our fleet too”.
Ola is the only app that can be used by both black cabs and Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs), giving drivers and riders greater choice. As part of their pledge to empower drivers, Ola also offers the highest driver rates, charging just 10% commission to black cabs, compared with 25% charged by competitors.
The company has also committed to make black cab and PHV ride options equally as attractive to app users by ensuring that they are competitively priced. Black cabs do not ‘peak’ meaning that they can be cheaper when PHVs are in high demand.
The Birmingham launch follows the successful introduction and uptake of the ride-hailing platform in Liverpool last month. Birmingham is Ola’s sixth UK launch destination, following Liverpool, Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and Exeter.