inDrive, an online ride-hailing mobility firm, said it has been recording exponential growth in its operations in Nigeria, especially during the fuel subsidy removal that raised the pump prices of petrol from N195/litre to over N600/litre.
Speaking in Lagos at a recent media event to mark its 10th anniversary, Oladimeji Timothy, inDrive business representative for Nigeria, said the business, which is now five years in Nigeria, started experiencing massive growth during subsidy removal and that it was driven by many people seeking for an affordable alternative to things they were used to.
While pointing out that fares charged by drivers using the ride-hailing services on the app are fixed and not determined by the volume of traffic congestion experienced on the trip, he urged users of the app to always negotiate their fares with drivers before embarking on the trip.
Read also: InDrive expands business operation in Nigeria, adds freight service
“We embedded transparency and fairness into the ride-hailing application because the users of the app are allowed to negotiate prices with our drivers. Transparency means that there are no hidden charges even as it allows both the driver and passenger to make an informed decision about the trip by knowing whom to pick up and where the passenger is going.
“We also have a low commission at 9.9 percent for the drivers and we started this even before ride-hailing drivers started clamouring for low commissions and it’s empowering the drivers using the inDrive app to aim more,” Timothy said.
He said inDrive has expanded its mobility services to 15 cities across Nigeria within five years of launching into the nation’s market.
According to him, the mobility app was first launched in Lagos, Nigeria in April 2019, which was five years ago but has now expanded in cities such as Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Owerri, Jos, Benin, and Enugu among others.
Read also: Data is guiding beacon for ride-hailing services – Timothy, inDrive executive
He described inDrive as a startup that has grown from a company with 60 employees with 1 million downloads to a unicorn with 2,000 employees with over 150 million downloads.
Launched in 2013, the company has grown from being a startup to becoming a unicorn and the third most downloaded app in the world in a sector where there are 100s of players.
Timothy said the company will through the courier solution, continue to empower small businesses and individuals in Nigeria with on-demand last-mile delivery options.
In terms of logistics, he said the businesses that leverage the logistics infrastructure provided by inDrive, are saved from investing huge sums of money into buying trucks for their businesses.
Read also: inDrive begins operations in Ibadan
Citing an example, he said, a caterer that is presently using the freight solution provided by inDrive was saved from investing over N15 million in buying a personal truck because the services needed are always available on the app, thereby enabling small businesses to invest in scaling up their businesses.
“We launched the courier and freight services in Lagos, and we are also giving several bonuses to our drivers for them to feel satisfied with what they are doing. We are committed to continuing to challenge injustice by creating an enabling environment for people and businesses to thrive,” he said.
Timothy further said that inDrive was established to challenge injustice and is a people-driven brand because the brand is challenging injustice, people agree with it and are backing the brand.
The inDrive solutions do not stop at ride-hailing because they also involve couriers and freighting of cargo.
