Imagine this: you’re rushing to go somewhere. You do not have your own vehicle and can not trust the public vehicle infrastructure in your city. The only option you have now is to hop on to ride-hailing services. You open your phone, and tap on your GO-TO app. However, it becomes almost impossible to find a rider in one go. You share this incident among your friends and they let you know that these days, everyone is hooked upon a new ride-hailing app. A new app named, “inDriver”.
inDriver is a ride sharing application that was launched in 2013 to tackle the inflexibility in taxi fares. inDriver is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operate regional hubs around the world, employing over 2,000 people and is currently available in 645+ cities in 45 countries. One would wonder why an international giant like this would expand its services in Nepal or Kathmandu in particular with a very small user base. That is still unknown. But, we do know how inDriver became a common name for users in Nepal.
We had a conversation with Pavit Nand Anand, inDriver’s PR Manager for South Asia. Let’s see what she has to say about inDriver.
Why did inDriver enter Nepal while there were already other competitors in the market?
Nepal is an exciting market, and we entered the market to support local communities, connect drivers and passengers for affordable and convenient mobility solutions.
As a company, we have always focused on entering underserved areas. In fact, inDriver was founded under very similar circumstances in Yakutsk, a city in eastern Siberia, an area with very rough weather conditions and few transportation options. We believe that our model can do for Nepal what it did for Yakutsk and other places: increase access to mobility solutions, promote economic development and help bring other conveniences to the communities we serve.
We all know its unique selling point (USP) is the feature where the passengers can choose their own price. But how much percentage of the users actually use this feature?
Our app has been downloaded over 130 million times around the world. The number is increasing on a daily basis, as more people join the inDriver community.
Few of the riders informed us that Indriver does not charge any commission from the riders. On the other hand, the prices are comparatively lower than other ride sharing apps. How is Indriver sustaining in this model? What is the actual revenue model of Indriver?
We will be charging a very nominal fee from the drivers. Our fee will be significantly lower than that of other ride-hail services operating throughout the city and will remain under 10%.
It is operating in more than 39 cities in the world. Still, it has no physical office in Nepal. Is it because of financial limitations or any other reasons? Please enlighten us.
inDriver serves the Nepal market from our regional hubs. This is not uncommon; many IT companies like inDriver operate from outside of Nepal.
Are you planning to open an office in Nepal anytime soon?
As now we are approaching the active business phase in Nepal, we will establish our business locally according to Nepalese laws.
The UI and map optimization of Indriver is really good, while the other existing ride sharing apps have some problems with the accuracy of maps. How is it possible? How could you optimize it without having an office in Nepal?
InDriver partners with the worlds-leading providers of map services which cover the territory of Nepal. Every single ride request submitted by the passenger to the driver is being processed on inDriver platform connected to the various map suppliers and returns back the full-fledged map layers on the user’s screen. This is how inDriver provides timely and accurate ride-hailing service and ensures the best experience for its users in Kathmandu and other cities across Nepal.
While the other rise sharing apps have maintained insurance policy for the riders, Indriver apparently does not have that. Dont you think it is necessary for the safety of both riders and the passengers?
We are not a taxi company. We are an IT company, and those who use our service are not our drivers, they are also our customers. We do our best to make sure everybody who uses our service is safe throughout their trip. This is why we are always attentive to any feedback which will help us to maintain passenger safety. We have a zero-tolerance policy for drivers who violate road traffic rules or abuse passengers. The same applies to passengers, who should act respectful toward their drivers. At the same time it remains driversresponsibility to meet traffic rules and local driving regulations.
News about Indriver being illegal is hovering around social media. Even the passengers of other countries like Malaysia also claim it to be illegal since it had not got the license. What is the truth behind it?
As a business operating in over 645 cities in 45 countries around the world, we are very sensitive to any local regulation in the ride hailing sector pertaining to each market. Our goal in Kathmandu is to maintain the safety, accessibility and convenience of the services we offer, so that they continue to benefit the users and contribute to combating social injustices
Establishing and developing business in Kathmandu will enable the company to further grow its operations in the country, creating more work opportunities for local drivers and expanding the service offering.
Can you Please share the Current Status of inDriver in Global Market?
Since the start of our international expansion in 2018, we have grown to become the worlds second-most downloaded mobility app with 130 million downloads. We are continuing to build on these results and are the world’s fastest-growing online ride-hailing service.
inDriver is available in 645+ cities in 45 countries. We are headquartered in Mountain View, California, and operate regional hubs around the world, employing over 2,000 people. In early 2021, inDriver achieved unicorn status after closing a $140m investment round with Insight Partners, General Catalyst, and Bond Capital, which valued the company at $1.23 billion.
Is InDriver’s doing any CSR Activity?
inDriver actively engages with and seeks to develop the communities it enters around the world. The company invites Nepali female tech entrepreneurs to enter inDrivers Aurora Tech Awards later this year. The award supports innovation driven by female IT startup founders in the countries it operates with monetary prizes that will allow them to implement their projects.
Another project inDriver implements on a global scale is BeginIT. Launched in 2012, this social educational project is aimed at providing future career guidance to capable children from orphanages, boarding schools, and rural schools in the area of new technologies. Within the project, the company is currently working with 127 orphanages, shelters, and remote rural schools in the CIS, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Indonesia, and India.
We invite rural Nepali schools and orphanages to apply for participation in the project on its website https://beginit.org.
Would you like to say something to Nepalese users?
With inDriver, you are the one to decide how much to pay for your ride. Indicate a fair price for your route, get offers from drivers and start saving on rides! If you are looking for a fair deal on your next ride, book it with inDriver and experience the difference.
Thanks for reading to the end. If we have missed any questions or if you have any questions for inDiver, do let us know in the comments below.
