[wheelguy]

"Ola has begun registering licenced drivers in London as it prepares to launch operations in the city. With this, over 50,000 licensed drivers will be able to join Ola and provide mobility services in London," a statement said.

Cab hailing platform Ola on Tuesday said it will soon begin its operations in London and has started onboarding licensed drivers in the region. Ola had received an operating licence from Transport for London (TfL) earlier this year.

"Ola has begun registering licenced drivers in London as it prepares to launch operations in the city...With this, over 50,000 licensed drivers will be able to join Ola and provide mobility services in London," a statement said.

The Bengaluru-based firm had forayed into the UK with operations starting in Cardiff in August last year. It has expanded across Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick in the UK.

"Today, we are inviting the tens of thousands of PHV drivers across London to register themselves on the Ola platform, as we prepare to launch in the city in the coming weeks. We have built a robust mobility platform for London which is fully compliant with TfL's high standards," Ola Head of International Simon Smith said.

More at: ET Auto

[libranof1987]

This comes close on the heels of Uber losing its licence to operate in London.

Uber has been stripped of its licence to operate in London over safety breaches, Transport for London has confirmed.

TfL said the company had not been granted a new licence to operate in the capital after ‘several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk’ were identified.

It added it ‘does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not fit and proper at this time’. It found that in at least 14,000 Uber trips, drivers had uploaded photos of themselves to the app linked to cars which they were not registered to drive, meaning passengers were being picked up by drivers not named or authorised by the company.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/25/uber-...ttle-11213996/

[avingodb]

England is a contradictory place; at the same time as they are trying hard to protect their traditional business and identity via Brexit, they open up businesses that will attract migrants in lower strata and challenge the traditional taxi, in which they take a lot of and somewhat unreasonable pride, even more.

They want to promote the local steel industry again but still give red carpet to Xi Jinping even as China continues to cause undervaluation of global commodity markets.

What a messed up major country.

[ajmat]

Softbank own stakes in both Uber and Ola.

If Uber is losing out, they are ensuring Ola gets the share

[sgiitk]

I hear their license has been cancelled / withdrawn. A salute to the local cabbies. Maybe Londoners love their ancient black cabs. All Diesels by the way.

[Venkatesh]

Ola loses its operating licence in London over public safety failings.

Transport for London (TfL) said in a statement that it refused to grant Ola, a Softbank-backed operator, a new London private hire vehicle (PHV) operator's licence as it "cannot find it fit and proper to hold one after discovering a number of failures that could have risked public safety.

TfL said it had discovered a number of failures in Ola's operations, including breaches of its licensing regime, which led to unlicensed drivers and vehicles undertaking more than 1,000 passenger trips on the platform's behalf.

https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...lings/78485218