Popular ride-sharing platform inDrive (formerly inDriver) started its official operation in Nepal on May 6, 2024, following its successful registration. In the meantime, the company has also announced that it will now charge a 10% commission per ride. We have all the latest on inDrive registration in Nepal, its new safety updates, and who said what on the occasion. Keep reading.
On Monday, May 6, 2024, inDrive hosted a ceremony announcing the start of its official operation in Nepal. Addressing the very ceremony occasion, Pavit Nanda Anand, the company’s Communications Manager for South Asia was upbeat while marking the company’s official start in Nepal. She stated, “As a brand, at inDrive our mission is to Challenge injustice to make the world a fairer place for 1 billion+ people. We are excited to announce that inDrive is now officially in Nepal. inDrive gives freedom of choice to people all around the world. Nepal’s market is extremely important for us, and we believe that our services will bring innovation and employment to the Nepali market.”
Likewise, Rita Pokharel, Director of inDrive Nepal, added: “inDrive’s official launch in Nepal marks a new chapter in the ride-hailing industry of Nepal. We are excited to announce that inDrive, is now officially launched in Nepal. We have partnered with IME Pay as our payment partner to provide our users with a seamless and secure payment experience.”
Its registration means that inDrive is now official in Nepal. To put this into context, the US-based platform has been providing ride-sharing services in Nepal since 2022. However, it was operating in the grey area. That meant the company was facing continuous scrutiny while riders and drivers in the fields also suffered hassles. Its registration will subside any of such inconveniences now.
inDrive is official in Nepal and will start charging commissions on riders
While inDrive’s registration in Nepal brings legality to it, the riders/drivers will also have to come to terms with the policy. the company has said that it will now start charging its riders a 10% commission per ride. So far, riders have been able to keep all the earnings with themselves. But with its service being registered, riders will have to share a small amount with the company. According to the company, the 10% commission though includes VAT and other applicable taxes.
Additionally, inDrive has also added IME Pay as one of its payment facilitators allowing the passengers to pay their fare using the popular digital wallet. For this, inDrive has struck up a partnership with IME Pay.
Unlike others, inDrive allows the Real-Time Deals (RTD) model and allows passengers to quote their price for the ride. It’s remained one of the best features of the company. Besides, the passengers can also expect counter offers from nearby drivers. On the other hand, drivers also get the freedom to decide which ride request suits them best and also suggest their price. On other platforms, algorithms fix pricing but here, the people have been given the liberty to determine the fare. This is the distinctive feature of the company. This “people-driven” approach has made it one of the most popular ride-sharing apps in Nepal.
New safety updates
With this new start, inDrive has also brought in a few important safety updates. From now on, passengers and drivers can choose who they want to ride with on the basis of their rating and the number of trips they have done before. Now, there are Live Ride Details Sharing and Save Our Souls (SOS) options available in the inDrive mobile app enabling vital features. Additionally, Quick support is offered to users in any unexpected situation. InDrive says that it works closely with authorities to solve any unwanted situation at its earliest.
InDrive was officially launched in Nepal on May 25th, 2022. At first, the service was available for rides inside the Kathmandu Valley only. But now it also offers city ride, city-to-city, freight, and courier delivery services. Currently, inDrive services are available in Kathmandu, Bharatpur, and Pokhara. The expansion plans are right after this registration milestone. Additionally, there are talks of the company introducing insurance for both drivers and passengers. On a broader note, InDrive currently operates in 749 cities in 46 countries and aims to positively impact 1 billion people by 2030.
“inDrive Comfort” Service
inDrive Comfort is a new service launched by the company aiming to provide customers comfortable and premium riding experience. The value-differentiation service lets customers gain access to premium vehicles, especially the fleet of electric vehicles.
Avik Karmakar, Senior GTM Manager for inDrive, South Asia said that inDrive is committed to exploring and providing different ride experiences to meet the demands of its customers. He likened the launch of inDrive Comfort in Nepal to an exciting development.
Similarly, Pavita Nanda said that the platform gives customers the freedom to choose adventurous travel in which they can choose the riders of their choice. She also shared that inDrive doesn’t use any algorithm to affect the ride-hailing market. It only has a system that determines fare by analyzing the distance of the travel.
The company is also planning to introduce a contact office in Kathmandu and implement insurance for riders. But the company didn’t disclose any time frame for these.
Going forward, inDrive also seeks to launch a “Grow EV inDrive Electro” plan to promote the use of electric vehicles.
Check out: Europe’s Ride-Sharing App Bolt enters Nepal with No Commission from Drivers for 6 Months
How to book a ride on inDrive?
To book a ride request on inDrive, follow the steps below.
- First, download the inDriver app from your app store.
- Launch the app and enter the pick-up and drop-off points.
- Choose your service- Moto (motorbike), Ride (taxi), City-to-city, or Delivery.
- Also, remember to place the price you are willing to offer for the trip.
- Drivers who have registered themselves to the service immediately get the notification of your request on their app.
- Then, the drivers can accept, ignore, or offer their price for the trip.
- Once a driver accepts your fare for the trip, the driver will pick you up at the location you have submitted and take you to your drop-off point.
Remember: Frequent canceling of trips on inDrive might lead to the company disabling your account for a while. So do refrain from deliberately canceling trips.
InDrive also lets you currier a package of up to 20 kg, or order goods in-store with home delivery. Just like for a ride, you can set the fair yourself and find a courier for the service.
The freedom of price negotiation is a key differentiator for the inDriver service. It comes with the RTD model and brings power to the people by allowing both the driver and the passenger to agree upon the fare for a ride. To illustrate, a passenger chooses to offer only Rs.270 for a trip from Gongabu Bus Park (Kathmandu) to Satdobato (Lalitpur). For another instance, the same passenger can pay Rs.130 for a trip from Thamel to Bouddhanath.
Bagmati Province has already made ride-sharing services legal while the federal government has recognized it as an industry. The conducive environment has been growing for the ride-sharing industry and with regulation and more clarity in policy, this sector could be headed for remarkable growth.
Do you think inDrive could have a remarkable impact on the future after its registration and official start in Nepal? Do share your opinions on this in our comment section below.
