One of the world’s largest rideshare platforms, Ola, looks set to stop operating across Australia in a matter of days.
Both drivers and customers say they have received an email from the company, which says it is going to ”discontinue operations in your area” on Friday.
Customers in Perth first reported the emails, but users in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra also claimed to have received them.
9news.com.au tried to book an Ola ride in Perth this morning, and was met with an error message saying: “Sorry, we don’t serve this location. Our services are currently not available in this city.”
Some users from outside Perth – including Sydney and Brisbane – have run into technical issues today.
“Ola will discontinue operations in your area on 12th April 2024,” the email to customers says.
“This means that you will no longer be able to book any rides through your Ola app from that date.
“You must not take any rides with any vehicle purporting to be an Ola vehicle or Ola driver from 12th April 2024.
“Ola has not authorised any driver or any other party to use the Ola brand or provide rides on Ola’s behalf.”
The Transport Workers’ Union said it was seeking an urgent meeting with the rideshare platform to ensure drivers are paid all their owed wages.
“Workers in the gig transport economy have for too long been ripped off minimum wage and other rights, and put under deadly pressure to prioritise speed over safety when delivering food,” TWU secretary Michael Kaine said.
“We will seek an urgent meeting with Ola to seek the best possible outcome for affected rideshare drivers.
“This industry is cannibalising itself. Companies operating sustainable models that support workers are being forced out through unchecked supply chain pressure and exploitative competition from the likes of Amazon.
“Ola’s exit shows how critical it is to get standards in place to lift pay and make transport gig jobs safe, secure and sustainable.”
One driver who uses the platform told 6PR radio he wasn’t surprised that it was getting out of Perth.
“Customers weren’t using it all. Ola stopped advertising and putting up promotions for their riders, so the support started to disappear pretty quickly,” Chris said.
“I contacted Ola over a week-and-a-half ago and their response was ‘yes, we’re not going to support Western Australia anymore’.”
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Ola was founded in India in 2011, and claims to have a global user base of 150 million customers and a million drivers across Australia, the UK, India and New Zealand.
It began operating in Australia, including Perth, in 2018 as a competitor to Uber. Its website still lists Perth among the areas in Australia it services.
However, it majorly scaled back operations across Australia in late 2020, shutting local driver offices and making most of its staff redundant.
It hasn’t posted on any of its Australian social media accounts since mid-2021, and an email from 9news.com.au to its local media team bounced back.
9news.com.au has contacted Ola’s global media team for comment.
