After opening an office in the city last year, Indian ride-hailing firm Ola said it would officially begin operations in London on February 10. London is one of the world’s biggest markets for ride-hailing services, and the expansion is a key development in Ola’s international strategy as the company widens its competition with Uber, another SoftBank portfolio firm. Ola said it will be “fully operational from day one” in London, where it has signed up over 20,000 drivers since late November . The company, which has raised about $3.5 billion to date, emphasized that its platform offers a range of security features such as a 24/7 helpline for drivers and customers and an in-app emergency button. Safety is a sensitive subject around the globe, especially in the UK capital, which might explain why it took Ola additional months to launch in the city after securing the license in July last year and entering the region in 2018. In November, TechCrunch obtained a pitch to Ola from a PR f...