Originally scheduled to go live in the city before Christmas, the service is not yet currently up and running.

No launch date has been confirmed.

Around 30 local drivers are known to have signed up to work with the service.

Drivers have expressed their frustration to The Courier about the uncertainty.

"They keep changing their launch dates. As of two weeks ago there [were] apparently 30 drivers who have joined so I don't understand why they keep stalling," one wrote.

Another told The Courier: "We've been given new dates, they've changed and we've been given no reason why. Drivers are really frustrated."

The company said it would include discounts off rides for the first two weeks after sign-up, as well as a lower introductory commission for drivers who join before the end of the year.

Stephen Armstrong, the CEO of the Ballarat Taxis co-operative, said the launch was unlikely to eat into the market for taxi firms in the city.

"It's a different service - it is more competition for Uber than it is for us," he told The Courier in November.

The more widely known ride-sharing service Uber launched in Ballarat in 2017 but the take-up was slower than for metropolitan areas.

Ola was founded in India in 2011 and has expanded to operate in several countries around the world. It is already operating in all the state capitals apart from Hobart, as well as the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast.

An Ola spokesperson said they had had a "great response" from local drivers.

"However, it's important that we don't launch in Ballarat until we have enough drivers completing their registration with us to ensure a good experience for local customers.

"The Christmas period has delayed driver sign-ups a little, but we do plan to launch in the first weeks of January."

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