Indian ride-sharing firm Ola has begun signing up drivers in London ahead of plans to launch services in the capital "in the coming weeks".
This comes on the heels of Uber’s commercial licence being revoked by local government body Transport for London (TfL) earlier this week over reports that almost 14,000 trips were made by drivers with fake identities on the company’s platform. Uber initially lost its licence in 2017 but was granted two extensions, the most recent of which expired this week.
Ola, which already operates in the United Kingdom, said it has held "constructive conversations" with local authorities regarding operating in the capital. The Indian firm was granted a licence from Transport for London (TfL) earlier this year.
"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," Ola's Head of International Simon Smith said in a statement. "We have had constructive conversations with the authorities, drivers, and local communities in London over the past months."
Smith added that the company has built a "robust mobility platform for London which is fully compliant with TfL's high standards".
The Indian ride-hailing firm launched operations in Cardiff starting August 2018 and has been expanding across the country across Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick.