Ola rides into Sydney
Bengaluru: A month after starting its international operations in Perth in Australia, Indian online cab aggregator Ola on Monday said it has begun offering rides in Sydney through its local driver-partners.
"People of Sydney can avail the introductory offer for free rides. Customers can download the Ola app, register for an account and book their rides," the city-based ride-sharing platform said in a statement here.
The company, on January 30, announced driving into Australia to foray into the international market to rival US-based Uber. It had also started hiring private vehicles and drivers in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth over the fortnight.
Sydney and Melbourne are two of the most populated cities in the country.
Since it began its operations in Australia, the company has received over 7,000 driver registrations in Sydney and Perth, the statement said.
The company is yet to begin operating in Melbourne.
The Indian firm will be taking on Uber, the largest ride-hailing platform in Australia, apart from other online cab aggregators operating in the country like Australia's GoCatch and Estonian Taxify.
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Man sets fire to gas cylinder on truck in Kerala's Kottayam, held
Kottayam(Kerala) (PTI): A 33-year-old man climbed onto a parked truck carrying cooking gas cylinders and set fire to one of them near Thalayolaparambu in the small hours of Saturday, police said.
The incident occurred around 12.30 am, they said.
The fire and rescue personnel soon arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire, averting a major disaster.
According to police, the man is suspected to be under mental distress as he claimed that he was walking from Ernakulam to his home in Marangattupilly here when he saw the truck on the roadside.
An FIR under sections 329(3)(criminal trespass),324(2)(mischief),326(f)(mischief by injury, inundation, fire or explosive substance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged against him.
Police said that the man was formally arrested, but will be released on station bail as the offences he is accused of are bailable.
"His family is here at the station and he will be released to them," the officer said.
In the FIR, police have said that the man opened the seal of one of the gas cylinders and set fire to it with the knowledge that his act was dangerous to those living in the area.
According to the company transporting the cooking gas cylinders, it suffered a loss of Rs 2,300 in the incident.
