inDrive to expand operations in five more cities in Pakistan

InDriver, which has rebranded itself as inDrive, is now gearing up to increase its presence in Pakistan with plans to expand operations in five more cities.

The company is currently operating in 11 cities in Pakistan including Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.

Speaking to Business Recorder on the sidelines of an event, inDrive Public Relations and Communication Manager for South Asian Region Sidra Kiran said that the company was likely to enhance its presence to five more cities.

Uber discontinues ride-hailing services in 5 cities

She was reluctant to share exact details about the company’s expansion plans but confirmed that the company will also strengthen its presence in the cities where it is already operating.

Kiran said that inDrive was the most downloaded ride-hailing application in Pakistan as it accounts for 40% of downloads in the category. Launched in 2012, inDrive is a global IT and transportation platform offering services in 47 countries.

“Pakistan is an exciting market,” said inDrive Director for Public Relations Natalia Kolmakova in a recorded message during the event. “We have launched our services there to support convenient mobility solutions.”

“As a company, we have always focused on entering under-served areas,” she said. “In fact, inDrive was founded in a region which had just a few transportation options.”

Careem suspends food-delivery business in Pakistan over unfavourable economic conditions

She added that the company aspired to provide mobility solutions and support economic development of under-served markets like Pakistan.

A company statement said that inDriver had moved beyond ride-hailing to become an urban services marketplace, where users could search for jobs, request household services, book long-distance trips, deliveries and cargo services. The company will enter new strategic segments - fintech, food delivery, e-commerce, as well as develop large-scale non-profit development programs, it said.

“We intend to identify markets and areas of life characterised by unfair and non-transparent conditions, and offer alternative business models, scaling them across its entire network,” it stated. “This applies to markets where pricing is determined by complex algorithms and non-transparent schemes, which essentially make it unfair.”

The company also held the belief that a price negotiated by users was a fair price.

“We are on a mission to provide fair pricing opportunities to as many people as possible across different countries around the world,” the company said in the statement.

It is pertinent to mention that on Tuesday, Uber Technologies notified users in Pakistan that the company is discontinuing its services in Karachi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan and Peshawar on an immediate basis. However, the firm has decided to continue operating in Lahore.

“We’ve made the decision to cease operating the Uber app in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Islamabad,” the company said in a statement. “Uber remains committed to Pakistan – we will continue to serve these five cities with our subsidiary brand Careem and continue to operate the Uber app in Lahore.”