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Ola to ride in Australia to take on Uber (Lead)

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Bengaluru, Jan 30 (IANS) Indian online cab aggregator Ola on Tuesday announced its entry into the international market, starting with Australia, to take on its American rival Uber.

“Ola will make its international expansion, with Australia being the first country. We have begun recruiting private hire vehicles and drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth from Tuesday, with rides expected to begin in the coming weeks,” a company spokesperson told IANS.

The company sees “immense” potential in Australia for ride-sharing, which combines technology and innovation, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal said in a statement here.

“We aim to create an affordable travel experience for citizens and contribute to a healthy mobility ecosystem in Australia,” Aggarwal said.

The spokesperson, however, declined to comment, stating “strategic reasons” when asked about the investment going into Australian operations and an exact timeline of when the operations would begin in the country.

According to Ganesh Raju, the startup leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India, it is “certainly difficult” for consumer-focused businesses to succeed in their overseas ventures, due to legal obligations in other countries.

“Business-to-business (B2B) companies generally find it easier to succeed in markets abroad, but historically business-to-consumer (B2C) companies have not seen any merit in going to other markets and dealing with their regulations, market conditions, unless they had a good local partner,” Raju told IANS.

For a majority of B2C companies, cracking the Indian market itself takes a long time, with Indian market being so huge, he said.

For consumer-oriented startups, challenges while entering foreign markets involve the legal liabilities, which are usually far more stringent in developed countries than in India, Raju said.

“A lot of spending has to go into popularising the brand to local consumers when consumer-focused ventures go abroad,” he added.

In 2015, Paris-based long-distance ride sharing platform Bla Bla Car, a popular service in Europe, entered into Indian market but could not gather much popularity as Indians weren’t aware of the brand.

Founded in 2011, Ola has been competing against Uber in the Indian ride-hailing market.

The Indian firm will be taking on Uber, which is the largest ride-hailing platform in Australia, apart from other online cab aggregators operating in the country like GoCatch and Taxify.

Headquartered here in Bengaluru, Ola currently has over 125 million users in India, operating in over 110 cities. On the other hand, San Francisco-based Uber operates in over 633 cities worldwide.

In October last year, Ola had said that it raised $1.1 billion (Rs 7,150 crore) through investors like SoftBank, Tencent Holdings Ltd, a leading Chinese internet firm, and other US-based financial investors.

SoftBank is also the largest shareholder in Uber, after the Japanese telecommunications company recently bought over nearly 15 per cent of the company’s stakes.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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