India’s homegrown ride-hailing services startup Ola is planning to take the fight against its global rival Uber to London before the end of 2019, reports Bloomberg.

Ola is already present in five other smaller United Kingdom (UK) cities - Liverpool, Cardiff Bath, Bristol and Exeter. Operations are expected to be launched in Reading and Birmingham this month, along with Manchester in May.

Commenting on Ola’s launch in London, UK Managing Director Ben Legg said, “London is the most complex in terms of regulation and it’s got more competition for drivers. That’s why we wanted to work our way up, adding a little bit more scale and complexity with each city instead of doing London first."

As part of its international push, Ola aims to expand into as many as 50 global cities by 2019, with a focus on high-end European and Gulf markets. The company is already present in the two southern countries of Australia and New Zealand.

Ola intends to establish a base in Amsterdam (Netherlands) which can serve as a central location for catering to the markets in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe and even North Africa. Ola is also reported to be looking for space in Dubai's high-end market and South America.

South Korean Money

Recently South Korean automobile giant Hyundai Motor Group announced that it would invest $300 million in Ola to develop India-specific mobility solutions. This investment will be jointly made by Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) and Kia Motors Corporation (Kia).

Also Read: Hyundai Stake In Ola Signals Yet Again That Car Business Is Going To Change Forever

Ola International Expansion

Get Swarajya in your inbox.