Ride-hailing is now an integral part of everyday life. The days of the traditional taxi vehicles have long been consigned to historical archives in major cities worldwide. Here in Lagos, Nigeria, the city-landmark yellow taxis on every street corner are now moving objects to be seen once in a “blue moon”. And with the arrival of the inDriver ride-hailing service, there is a new excitement on the street.
But the memories of the traditional taxis cannot be forgotten entirely. This is because of the flexibility to bid and negotiate a price with the “Baba” behind the wheels. Thanks to the inDriver ride-hailing service, the fundamental commuting right of faithful commuters technologically removed by Bolt and Uber is now restored to life. How possible, you may ask?
In this article, I will share with you all you need to know about the inDriver ride-hailing service.
inDriver International Inc is an online ride-hailing service with its headquarters in Mountain View, California, USA. The company was founded in 2013 in Yakutsk – a Siberian region in Russia.
From its modest beginning nine years ago, inDriver has grown to a user base of more than 100 million across more than 120 cities. And among those cities of the world is Lagos, Nigeria. The ride-sharing service made its debut in Lagos in 2019.
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Who Owns inDriver Ride-Hailing Service?
inDriver was founded by Arsen Tomsky, who currently leads the company’s international team of over 1000 employees and over 100 million users worldwide. Mr Arsen grew up in Yakutsk and had a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from Yakutsk State University. He is also an avid runner.
inDriver Business Model
inDriver uses a bidding-style business model where drivers can counterbid the preferred fees already bided by prospective riders (customers). The counterbid by the driver can be an additional N100 to N500 on the initial amount offered by the rider. And if a deal is struck, the trip is accepted and can commence.
The inDriver pricing model had brought further disruption to the already disrupted taxi business landscape. Before the arrival of Uber, Bolt and co, ride-hailing was an exclusive territory of yellow cab drivers in Lagos, Nigeria. With this new ride-hailing service, you now have the opportunity to negotiate a fee you are comfortable with while simultaneously enjoying the privacy and comfort of a smooth ride. Talk about the classic case of eating your cake and having it back.
The Difference Between inDriver And The Rest (Bolt, Uber)
Apart from the difference in the pricing model of inDriver to that of Bolt and Uber, there are some other points of divergence between “the new kid on the block” and the others. Here are some points to note.
Driver’s Commission Fee
inDriver takes lower commission fees at 8% from the money made by its drivers compared to Bolt and Uber. Uber and Bolt respectfully take 25% and 15% commission fees from their drivers.
The lower commission taken by inDriver helps drivers to earn more since customers sometimes pay less because of the ability to bargain for lower fees.
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Fixed Price vs Price Estimate
If you are a regular Uber and Bolt user like myself, you would have noticed that both ride-hailing services give price estimates while booking your ride before the trip starts. The price estimate you are given before the start of your trip is subject to change. This could be due to the road traffic, which may increase beyond the initial estimate given.
On the other hand, once you have reached a price agreement with a driver on the inDriver platform and commenced your trip, the agreed price is fixed (locked), and both of you are bound to the agreed fare irrespective of the traffic situation.
Ride Cancellation By Driver
Drivers on the inDriver platform can cancel rides already booked but not started if they are unsatisfied with the fare offered by riders without the fear of being sanctioned by the ride-hailing platform. On the flip side, divers on Bolt and Uber platforms can be sanctioned if they cancel rides they have already accepted to undertake without any substantial reason for doing so.
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Choose Who Drives You
Unlike Bolt and Uber ride-hailing services, where drivers are automatically assigned to riders, you get to choose who drives you when using inDriver. This is so because not all drivers available within your pickup location will settle with the counter offer you make. And as a result, you will likely choose (not the app) the driver that offers you the best fare deal in addition to other considerations like driver rating, estimated arrival time, and vehicle model among the pool of drivers available.
How inDriver Ride-Hailing Service App Works
Follow the following steps to book an inDriver ride:
- Download and install the inDriver app on your mobile device from the Play or Apple stores.
- Enable your mobile device location if not on, and input your current location in the space provided on the app.
- Next, you will also indicate your destination address.
- Once you are done with your destination address, a recommended adjustable fare (also indicating the estimated travel time) will automatically show.
- Tap on the app’s recommended fare and adjust (offer a bid) it to an amount you want to pay
- Next, tap on the Find a driver button.
- If, for instance, your bid is too low, the app will recommend that you raise your bid to a higher amount based on the average current fare for the chosen route.
- Once you accept, a list of available drivers within the radius of your pick-up location will pop up on your mobile phone, each with a corresponding counter bid offer. And you are at liberty to either accept or decline any of the ride offers. You also can increase your bid amount with a predetermined amount by the app (usually between N100 to N400) to attract drivers if none is showing interest in your initial bid.
- Should you accept an offer from any other drivers, the agreed fare amount will be locked, and the driver will head toward your pick-up location for the commencement of the ride.
Have you used inDriver before? Please share your experience with us in the comments.
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