Indian ride-hailing company Ola on Tuesday announced its plans to start its services in New Zealand, in the cities of Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. This is the fourth overseas market that Ola has ventured into after Bangladesh in 2017 and Australia and the United Kingdom this year.

In a statement, the company said it has appointed Brian Dewil the country manager to oversee its operations and growth there. He has 15 years of experience working in the technology and start-up industries.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola co-founder and chief executive officer, said the Bengaluru-based company would try to “provide a fair alternative in the rideshare space for both customers and drivers” in the country. “We invested in understanding the New Zealand customer and devised the right strategy to meet their transport needs,” he said.

Ola will invite private vehicle owners to learn more about driving and registering with the company. It will also introduce a market low introductory commission rate of 9% for its driver partners in New Zealand.

Ola operates in seven major cities in Australia, and has licences to operate in South Wales and Greater Manchester in the UK. The company said it is “working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by end of 2018”.

Ola recently raised $50 million, about Rs 362 crore, from two Chinese investors - Sailing Capital and China Eurasian Economic Cooperation Fund, reported the Economic Times.