Ride-hailing platform inDrive to launch services in Bengaluru, Pune

NEW DELHI: Global ride-hailing platform inDrive on Thursday said it is planning to expand operations to Bengaluru and Pune shortly.

The California-based online ride-hailing platform launched its services in 2019 and is now present in 10 cities, such as Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Bhopal.

The platform follows a fair-price setting model under which passengers and drivers negotiate fares among themselves. It offers ride-hailing, intercity, freight and delivery services in India.

''We are spreading to the new cities, which are organically growing as our brand becomes more and more popular in India. Soon, we will launch our services in Bangalore and Pune,'' the company said in a statement.

Creating fairer solutions to address the existing gaps in underserved markets is a crucial part of inDrive's global expansion strategy, the statement mentioned.

The company said the number of active users in Delhi-NCR is growing fast, and it already has thousands of registered drivers in the national capital region.

It has also launched a marketing campaign for passengers and drivers to increase its traction.

Explaining how the platform is different from bigger rivals, the company said there are no fixed tariffs on inDrive.

Fares for rides are set by the passengers themselves. A driver can always find a ride request that suits them in terms of price and route. If they are not satisfied with a potential passenger's suggested price, then they are able to suggest a more suitable one.

As part of expansion plans, the company will soon offer services in regional languages like Tamil.

Its strategy is to go to the smaller neighbouring cities to create synergy across all states.