Ola to challenge Uber in UK ride-hailing market
歐拉將在英國打車市場挑戰優步
▌ 部分素材來源於BBC，世界播團隊翻譯
Indian taxi-hailing giant Ola is moving into the UK as it continues to challenge Uber around the world.
印度打車巨頭歐拉正進軍英國，繼續在全球挑戰優步。
The company, which was founded in 2011, has 125 million customers and is already present in 110 cities. It plans to start operating in South Wales and Greater Manchester.
該公司成立於2011年，擁有1.25億客戶，目前已在110個城市開展業務。該公司計劃開始在南威爾士和大曼徹斯特地區開展業務。
Unlike Uber it will offer a choice of a private hire vehicle or black taxi.
與優步不同的是，它將提供私人租車或黑色出租車等選擇。
It says it is working with local authorities across the UK to expand nationwide by the end of 2018.
該公司表示，正在與英國各地的政府協商，爭取在2018年底前在全國範圍內普及。
Ola says it will begin UK operations in South Wales in the next month.
歐拉公司表示，下個月將在英國南威爾士開展業務。
This move is the first serious challenge in the UK to market-leading taxi-hailing app Uber, which was founded two years earlier than Ola, has three million drivers and operates in 600 cities in 65 countries.
這是對在英國市場領先的打車公司優步的首次嚴峻挑戰。優步比歐拉早兩年成立，目前擁有300萬名司機，在65個國家的600個城市運營。
Currently, Ola only operates in two countries, the UK will be its third, after starting its first operations in Australia earlier this year.
目前，歐拉只在兩個國家開展業務，英國將是其第三個開展業務的國家，今年早些時候，該公司在澳大利亞開展了它的第一個業務。
Both companies count Japan's Softbank as an investor, but the two already compete fiercely in India, although Uber pulled out of operating in South East Asia earlier this year.
儘管日本軟銀集團是這兩家公司的投資者，但是兩家公司已經在印度展開了激烈競爭，儘管優步今年早些時候退出了在東南亞的運營。
Softbank is a major backer of the world's leading taxi-hailing apps, with investments in Chinese giant Didi and Grab, although it has not invested in Uber's chief US rival on its home soil, Lyft.
軟銀集團是全球領先打車應用的主要支持者，它投資了中國巨頭滴滴和Grab，儘管它沒有投資優步在美國的主要競爭對手Lyft。
Services such as Uber - often called "ride-hailing" or "ride-sharing" apps - at their simplest were designed to link drivers, via a mobile phone app, with people who they were prepared to give a lift to in return for a bit of petrol money.
優步——通常被稱為“網約車”或“拼車”應用——最簡單的設計是通過手機應用將司機與乘客聯繫起來，以換取一點油錢。
As it has grown, Uber in particular has come under scrutiny over passenger safety and how it treats its drivers.
隨著業務的增長，優步已經受到了有關乘客安全以及如何監管司機的審查。
It has been engaged in court battles over whether it is an employer or simply an app, and how much it should regulate its drivers and be responsible for passenger safety. It has been banned from some cities, and had to fight to keep its licence to operate in London.
該公司一直在打官司，爭論的焦點是它是一家僱主，還是僅僅是一款應用程序，以及它應該在多大程度上監管司機，並對乘客安全負責。它在一些城市被禁止，現在不得不為確保在倫敦運營而戰。
It is particularly resented by licensed drivers of black taxis, for whom it takes years of work to qualify for their licences.
黑色出租車的持牌照司機對此尤其不滿，因為他們需要多年的工作才能獲得牌照。
Ola will be the first app to link to both these, as well as individuals who offer private hire.
歐拉將是第一個鏈接到這兩者以及為個人提供私人租車的應用程序。
Apps in the UK that currently connect passengers with black taxis include Gett and Mytaxi.
英國目前使用黑色出租車連接乘客的應用程序包括Gett和Mytaxi。
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA), which represents black taxi drivers, said: "The LTDA welcomes fair competition in London and would expect to see Ola play by the rules if granted a licence to operate in the capital.
代表黑色出租車司機的持牌出租車司機協會秘書長史蒂夫•麥克納馬拉表示:“該協會歡迎在倫敦公平競爭，如果獲得在倫敦運營的通行證，將希望看到歐拉遵守規則。”
"Ola says that it is committed to raising safety standards in the UK's private hire industry from the get go, unlike Uber."
“歐拉表示，與優步不同的是，它從一開始就致力於提高英國私人租車行業的安全標準。”
Passenger safety
乘客安全
Ola's UK launch statement stresses its willingness to engage with the authorities.
歐拉進軍英國的聲明強調了它願意與當局接觸。
It says it "seeks to lead the industry with its approach to passenger safety".
該公司表示，它“將保證乘客的安全，最終領導該行業”。
Ola also plans to offer round-the-clock voice support and an options to share journey details with a passenger's emergency contacts.
歐拉還計劃提供全天候語音支持，並提供與乘客緊急聯繫人共享旅程細節的選項。
Analysis:
分析:
▌ Theo Leggett, business reporter
西奧萊格,商業記者
After years spent fighting Uber on its home ground in India, Ola is taking the fight into its rival's core markets. First Australia, now the UK.
多年來，歐拉一直在印度本土與優步展開較量，如今，歐拉正在進軍其競爭對手的核心市場。先是澳大利亞，現在是英國。
The battle between the two in India has been bitter, and aggressive marketing has proved costly. Ola lost about $700m last year, despite a big increase in revenues.
這兩家公司在印度的競爭一直很激烈，營銷成本也在不斷上升。歐拉去年虧損約7億美元，儘管其收入大幅增長。
Both firms are backed by the Japanese technology giant Softbank. That's led to speculation about a possible merger in the Indian market, or at least an easing of hostilities.
這兩家公司都得到了日本科技巨頭軟銀集團的支持。這引發了人們對這兩家公司可能在印度市場合並的猜測，或者至少會減少敵意。
Yet now Ola is moving into regions where Uber is already well established - and not just Uber.
然而，現在歐拉正在進軍優步已經發展成熟的地區，而且該地區不僅僅只有優步。
The UK is already a crowded market, and one in which Uber itself has faced fierce opposition from established taxi providers, not to mention friction from licensing authorities unhappy at some of its business practices.
英國已經是一個飽和的市場，優步本身就面臨著老牌出租車供應商的激烈反對，更不用說與對其某些商業行為不滿的牌照部門的摩擦。
Ola has already made a start at marking itself out as different - stressing its concern for passenger safety and its keenness to cooperate with authorities but it remains to be seen if such a key investor is happy to see these two go head to head in another major market.
歐拉已開始標榜自己與眾不同,強調其對乘客安全的關注，以及與當局合作的熱情,但這個關鍵投資者是否樂於看到這兩家公司在另一個主要市場競爭還有待觀察。
'Compelling service'
“引人注目的服務”
Ola founder and chief executive Bhavish Aggarwal studied computer science in Mumbai and worked for Microsoft after that. He was 26 when he founded Ola in 2011.
歐拉創始人兼首席執行長阿加瓦爾在孟買學習計算機科學，之後為微軟工作。2011年，26歲的他創立了歐拉公司。
He said: "The UK is a fantastic place to do business and we look forward to providing a responsible, compelling, new service that can help the country meet its ever demanding mobility needs.
他表示:“英國是一個做生意的好地方，我們期待著提供一項負責任、引人注目的新服務，幫助英國滿足其不斷提高的流動性需求。”
"We look forward to our continued engagement with policymakers and regulators as we expand across the country and build a company embedded in the UK."
“我們期待著繼續與政策制定者和監管機構接觸，我們將在全國範圍內推廣，並在英國建立一家公司。”
Ola's entry into the UK follows its launch in Australia in February 2018, where it now operates in seven major cities.
歐拉於2018年2月進軍澳大利亞，目前在澳大利亞的7個主要城市運營，之後進軍英國。
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