InDriver is a ride-hailing service that has been gaining popularity around the world. The company’s unique approach to pricing sets it apart from other ride-hailing services, allowing passengers to negotiate the fare with the driver before the trip. While this feature has several benefits, it also comes with its own set of drawbacks. In this article, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of InDriver.
What is InDriver and how does It work?
InDriver is a ride-hailing service that connects passengers with local drivers in their area. The company was founded in Yakutsk, Russia, in 2012 and has since expanded to over 300 cities across the world. InDriver’s unique feature is its ability to let passengers negotiate the fare with the driver before the trip.
When a passenger requests a ride, nearby drivers will receive a notification of the request and can choose to accept or decline it. Once a driver accepts the request, the passenger will receive a notification with the driver’s name, photo, and car details. The passenger can then negotiate the fare with the driver, either accepting the suggested price or proposing a lower one. The driver can either accept the passenger’s offer or counter with a higher price, and the negotiation process continues until a price is agreed upon by both parties.
InDriver’s pricing algorithm takes into account factors such as distance, time, and the driver’s availability when calculating the fare. The company claims that its pricing is up to 30% lower than that of other ride-hailing services because drivers do not have to pay a commission to the company. Instead, InDriver charges a small fixed fee per ride, which is lower than the commission charged by other ride-hailing companies.
Advantages of using InDriver
One of the most significant advantages of using InDriver is its affordable fares. By allowing passengers to negotiate the fare with drivers, InDriver often offers lower prices than other ride-hailing services. Passengers can also save money by opting for shared rides, where multiple passengers are picked up along the way to their destinations.
InDriver also offers flexibility, as passengers can choose the driver they want to ride with based on their ratings and reviews. This allows passengers to choose a driver they feel comfortable with and trust, which can be especially important for solo travelers or those unfamiliar with the area.
Another advantage of using InDriver is the ability to request rides in advance. This can be especially useful for travelers who need to catch a flight or attend an important meeting. InDriver allows passengers to schedule a ride up to seven days in advance, ensuring they have a reliable means of transportation when they need it.
InDriver also prides itself on its commitment to safety. The company has a number of safety features in place, such as requiring drivers to undergo background checks and providing passengers with the driver’s name, photo, and car details before the ride. In addition, passengers can share their ride details with friends and family in real-time, giving them peace of mind that their loved ones are safe.
Disadvantages of InDriver
One of the biggest disadvantages of using InDriver is the potential for price surges during peak hours. Because drivers are able to set their own prices, they may raise their fares during times of high demand, such as rush hour or during a major event. While this is a common practice among ride-hailing services, InDriver’s lack of surge pricing may make it more difficult for passengers to predict how much they will be charged for a ride.
Another disadvantage of InDriver is the lack of standardized pricing. Because drivers can negotiate fares with passengers, there is no set pricing structure for rides. This can make it difficult for passengers to compare prices between drivers or for drivers to know what a fair price for a ride should be. In addition, because there is no set pricing structure, some drivers may charge significantly higher prices than others, which can lead to frustration and confusion for passengers.
Safety concerns are also a potential drawback of using InDriver. While the company has several safety features in place, such as requiring drivers to undergo background checks, there have been reports of safety incidents involving InDriver drivers. As with any ride-hailing service, passengers should take precautions to ensure their safety, such as sharing ride details with friends and family and verifying the driver’s identity before getting into the car.
Negotiating Prices: how It works and how It benefits passengers and drivers
InDriver’s unique feature of allowing passengers to negotiate the fare with the driver before the trip has several benefits for both passengers and drivers. Passengers can often get a lower price by negotiating with the driver, which can be especially useful during times of high demand when prices on other ride-hailing services may be inflated. The negotiation process also allows for transparency in pricing, as passengers can see exactly how much they will be charged before the trip begins.
For drivers, the ability to negotiate prices allows for more control over their earnings. They can choose to accept or decline a passenger’s offer based on their own financial needs, which can be especially important during times of low demand. In addition, because InDriver does not charge a commission on fares, drivers can earn more money per ride than they would with other ride-hailing services.
However, the negotiation process can also have drawbacks for both passengers and drivers. Some passengers may feel uncomfortable negotiating with drivers or may not know what a fair price for a ride should be. Drivers may also be hesitant to negotiate too low of a fare, as they still need to cover their costs and make a profit.
Conclusion
InDriver is currently available in over 400 cities in 31 countries, including the United States, Russia, Brazil, Nigeria, and India. To see if InDriver is available in your city, you can check the company’s website or download the app and enter your location.
InDriver has several safety features in place, such as requiring drivers to undergo background checks and providing passengers with the driver’s photo and license plate number before the trip. In addition, passengers can share their trip details with friends and family and rate their driver after the trip.
LOOSE-WIN SITUATION
I have found using the Indrive as only beneficial to the rider, app company (Indrive) and not the Driver viz-a-viz rising costs of vehicles, vehicle maintenance and rising cost of fuel.
INCORRECT TIME/DISTANCE APPROPRIATION
Drive timing from pick up point to destination is very vague since it uses Air distance as compared to Land calculations which includes traffic jam, detours or bad roads.
RIDER TIME WASTING
Ordinarily, once a driver arrives at pickup point there is a 5 minutes unpaid pickup wait time on all other ehailing platforms for which a rider should board vehicle but some riders on indrive abuse this priviledge even particularly when stops are included ìn the ride because the fare stays the same èven if it takes 2hours to do a 45 minutes ride.
NON USER FRIENDLY APP
If you have used either of Bôlt or Ùber either to driver or commute you would find the Indrive app complicated and non user friendly.
A} Have you tried to use the ìn app calling feature to reach your rider or driver and had much success?
Well I did at somepoint but its mostly epileptic and non functional, could bẹ frustrating for a driver if a rider chooses to hide his or her phone number from Third Party views. This leaves you with only the option of active messaging which is ofcourse dangerous for the Driver if he is already driving and oftentimes lead to rider cancellations for non response to messages
B) A driver from Nigeria or anywhere else can drive if licensed to, qpon his first week or day of arrival ìn the UK using the Ùber or Bôlt app without hiccups very much unlike the Indrive app demands you keep your eyes fixated on the drive trail which is as thin as thread except its a place you can travel to without aid and even with closed eyes; the Indrive map doesn’t reroute you for whatever reason, peradventure you make a wrong turn or didn’t make a turn where necessary.
Google or Waze {AIR} are not exactly beyond reproach and atimes could conflict with the app drive trail {Land}. At such instances the App drive trail is to be desired.
This goes to show less spending on an impeccable app development and a reason for charging low ehailing percentage.
CAR QUALITY
Nearly any vehicle can trend on Indrive, Rida but not so with Bôlt and Uber as there a no age restrictions, pre on-boarding and periodic vehicle inspections to maintain good standards.
Its not a curse to find mòst Indrive vehicles with conditions looking like a yellow and black stripe Lagos Taxi and riders dont complain because they themselve know its a feel among thing.
THE GLOBACOM EFFECT
Business models like this can only thrive ìn regions where people look out more for quanity rather than QUALITY particularly the youths.
Since Indrive doesn’t invest ìn its app nor provide operational vehicles they can charge as low as 5% ride commission per ride or offering lower prices to riders but you can be assured, the moment drivers start realising using the Indrive app is only one-sided as mòst rides are often economically unprofitable viz-a-viz bad roads, traffic jams, rascal law enforcement agents. then Indrive would begin to go extinct.
On a lighter note riders would never announce they ordered Indrive but would rather say I just ordered an Uber.