London — Uber Technologies’ rivals are stepping up the battle for ride-sharing dominance in Europe, with local start-ups raising funds and global adversaries increasing contact with local regulators as they seek to gain a toehold in the region. Taxify is looking to raise $50m in the first quarter to fund expansion plans, according to a person familiar with the matter. The move comes after the Estonia-based startup revealed in October that it received backing from Chinese giant Didi Chuxing. Mytaxi — a black-cab taxi app backed by Daimler — is also looking to expand the number of cities it serves across Europe, including a handful of new cities in the UK, said general manager Andy Batty. Interest in London, Europe’s most lucrative market, has also increased from providers outside Europe. In late October, Ola board member and former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin and Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal met with Michael Hurwitz, director for London’s Director of Transport Innovation, to discuss deve...
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