CHENNAI: Travelling in a city alone is not easy. The dependency on public transport, negotiations with autorickshaw drivers and leaning on to the complicated routes provided by Google Maps amid these, booking a ride in the existing ridesharing apps is a sought after option. But the bevy of problems including the driver demanding extra fare, the late arrival of the cab and the cancellation charges, often poses a hurdle. Looking into all the issues, inDrive, a people-driven company that started in 2013, recently launched its services in the city by giving the customers the liberty to set the price.
In a press meet organised at Hotel Vestin Park on Tuesday, Pavit Nanda Anand, South Asia PR manager, inDrive, shared, “When we say it is a people-driven app, we assure that the power is in the hands of people. There will be no technology that will serve as a moderator in the process of fare deciding. The passenger will decide how much money they should pay and the drivers can choose the passengers based on the price and distance, the passenger’s rating, the pick-up location and the number of inDrive trips the customer has already taken. As of now, we are not charging any commission from the driver. Eventually, there will be one which will be reasonable and very less.”
The company, which is based in Mountain View, California, operates regional hubs across the world The Americas, Asia, Middle East, Africa and countries of CIS. In India, it launched in 2019 and operates in 10 cities, including Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Bhopal, Jaipur, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, Surat and Chennai. Explaining the key features of the app, Pavit shared, “We ensure fair fares. Unlike other services which have a pre-established algorithm, here, it is a mutual agreement between the customer and the driver. To assure safety, we provide real-time location sharing and an emergency button. Drivers can also choose the trips that are profitable for them and can see the exact route of the customer before accepting the ride.”
The ridesharing service considers Chennai a potential market. They have already started their services in the trial phase and have more than 5,000 drivers. Locations like Chennai Airport, Chennai Central railway station, Phoenix MarketCity and IIT Madras, according to the company, are showing good response. The app offers both AC and non-AC cab services and does not offer carpool services. Another highlight of the company is the CSR initiative where it collaborates with NGOs and works with under-privileged children. “BeginIT is a social educational project from inDriver, aimed at identifying and guiding children in the sphere of new technologies. More than 50 students from India are currently a part of the project,” summed up Pavit.