Ride-hailing app, inDriver has successfully expanded its reach into Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and most notably, South Africa. Since its launch earlier this year in South African cities Cape Town and Johannesburg, the ride-hailing service is now officially live in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria, with over 1 000 new drivers already registered in each city.
The app’s Real-Time Deal (RTD) model allows passengers to set their own fare for their chosen route. Nearby drivers who receive notice of ride requests have three choices – accept the fare offered, ignore the offer or bargain for a higher price. “We designed the app to combat algorithms used by other ride-hailing companies, which rack up prices because of peak hours, traffic and request history,” says inDriver spokesperson, Rifqa Carr.
Recall that the company recently launched its services in Nigeria. A unique feature of inDriver is that drivers are not automatically assigned to riders. Once the counteroffers are in, passengers select the most suitable driver in line with what categories are most important to them – fare, driver rating, estimated time of arrival or vehicle model. inDriver has the option to make the rides safer. Passengers can share their GPS location and ride details in real-time from the app with trusted contacts.
To book a trip, riders enter their current location and destination as well as the price they are willing to pay. “Passengers using the app pay on average 20-30% less than with other services. We do have a fare minimum, which is region-specific, but the final fare is set by both rider and driver in a real-time negotiation,” continues Carr.
inDriver is also said to benefits drivers, with 0% commission charged for the first six to 12 months of operation on the platform. “Drivers have the freedom to choose whichever ride request they like, without any risk of being penalised. They’re also able to see the full fare, from point A to point B, and can then decide if they want to accept the request – or not,” concludes Carr.
inDriver is available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
