Ola to bank on local innovations to compete with Uber's West-centric model

Uber still accounts for up to 40% of the Indian ride-hailing market

Bhavish Aggarwal, the co-founder and CEO of India’s largest taxi-hailing service Ola, said that the firm’s focus on local innovation such as the Ola Auto has helped it compete against rival firm- Uber- in India.

“Uber is a strong competitor and they have done better in the West but we emphasise on our roots,” said Aggarwal at Elevate, a startup event organised by the Karnataka government on Tuesday. The state is looking to promote entrepreneurship from smaller towns and is identifying over 100 start-ups that would be recognised during the event.

Auto-rickshaws, which are cheaper to hire than cabs, have