inDrive’s target isn’t market share, it is profitable growth, says Pratip Mazumder

India’s ride-hailing market is so large that no one player’s success should be seen as a threat.
Pratip Mazumder
Country Manager for India at inDrive
Pratip Mazumder Country Manager for India at inDrive
Updated on
3 min read

Pratip Mazumder, Country Manager for India at inDrive, spoke with TNIE’s Rakesh Kumar about the company’s vision for 2025 and its strategy to get a strong foothold in the competitive ride-hailing market. Excerpts:

Where is inDrive positioned in India, and how do you plan to carve out a space in India?

We are proud to say that inDrive is the second most downloaded ride-hailing app globally, after Uber. We have a strong presence in 46 countries and 749 cities. We’re also market leaders in several South American countries, including neighbouring nations like Pakistan, as well as other parts of South Asia. Additionally, we are seeing rapid growth in the Philippines and other countries across the Asia Pacific region.

The ride-hailing market in India is unlike any other. The scale here is massive — we are talking about a market with 13-15 million daily trips. Given the size of the market, there will always be multiple players. The opportunity is so big that even a small share can be incredibly valuable, often surpassing what might be considered leadership in smaller countries. This is why everyone is eager to enter the Indian market.

What sets inDrive apart from other ride-hailing apps?

When you take a ride with any other app and talk to the driver, you will often find them frustrated with their earnings. They don’t always understand how payouts work, and the lack of transparency leaves them feeling disconnected. On the passenger side, there is also a lack of clarity — passengers don’t always know if they are being charged fairly. This is where inDrive truly differentiates itself.

We solve both of these problems. For drivers, we provide complete transparency. The payment structure is simple: a 100-rupee fare minus a 10-rupee fee — it’s clear and straightforward. We only take a 10% commission, which is much lower than the 25-35% range other companies charge. But it doesn’t stop there. We also offer transparency for passengers. They can bid for their ride and choose the amount they’re willing to pay, making the process more transparent and customisable.

In terms of profitability, how is inDrive placed in India?

Globally, inDrive is a profitable organisation. In India, we are not yet profitable, but we are far from bleeding money like many other ride-hailing companies. The key difference is that our burn rate is significantly lower. If a company takes R30 but spends R80 in the process, there’s little value in that. On the other hand, by taking just R10 and spending only R8, we can still generate a profit, even at a smaller scale. Our objective is twofold: growth and profitability. Our customer acquisition cost has decreased by 25% year-on-year, even as we grew by 18% over the same period.

What’s your target market share in India?

My target isn’t market share; it’s profitable growth. If the market size is $10 today and we are $1, and tomorrow the market grows to $15 and we become $1.5, our market share remains 10%, but we’ve grown 50%. Market share is a relative number. I focus on growing profitably, not just expanding our market share.

Rapido has grown very fast in the past year, while inDrive hasn’t. What’s the reason?

There will always be new entrants in the market, and while Rapido has gained attention, let’s not forget about other players like Blue Smart, who are also emerging. The key factor here is customer acquisition cost. The more you invest in advertising, the more people become aware of your service, and the more users you acquire. But this comes at a significant cost. Rapido has had impressive growth, no doubt, and they raised around $300 million last year. With that kind of funding, they can afford to scale quickly. But at the same time, India’s ride-hailing market is so large that no one player’s success should be seen as a threat. There is still plenty of opportunity for everyone.

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