Uber rival Ola looks set to stop all New Zealand rideshare operations this week

Ola was buoyant soon after it arrived in New Zealand but now appears to be in some trouble.

Rideshare company Ola appears to be pulling out of New Zealand after five and-a-half years.

The company told Auckland customers it would discontinue operations this Friday, April 12.

“This means that you will no longer be able to book any rides through your Ola app from that date,” the company added.

Customers were also told not to take rides with any vehicle purporting to be an Ola driver from Friday.

“Ola has not authorised any driver or any other party to use the Ola brand or provide rides on Ola’s behalf.”

The company, in an email, said people could still access account information and raise any queries or issues with the Ola customer care team until May 11.

“After 11th May 2024, you will no longer have access to your app,” Ola said in the email.

The Herald has contacted Ola’s country manager for comment.

He said the company was closing but he’d have to discuss matters with colleagues before commenting further.

A message to Ola’s customer support email resulted in a generic response.

“We are currently unable to provide our services within this area, we hope to have the issue resolved as soon as possible,” an Ola Australia-New Zealand representative wrote.

Ola arrived in New Zealand in September 2018 and in Australia the year before that.

In 2019, Ola said it had clocked half a million rides in its first six months in the New Zealand market.

It seemed Ola was also stopping its operations in Western Australia.

Perth Now said Ola had discontinued its local operations without warning today.

Ola is headquartered in the Indian tech capital of Bengaluru (Bangalore).

In 2022, Indian business news channel CNBC TV 18 reported that Ola suffered from a wave of executive resignations and customer complaints about Ola Electric, which made e-scooters.