inDriver, an international online ride-hailing service with its headquarters in New York has today launched its services in Kampala.
Unlike other ride-hailing firms, inDriver has a way different model. While these ride-hailing firms estimate fares for a trip, inDriver, independently set(s) the price for their trip.
inDriver allows passengers to set their own fare for their chosen route. Nearby drivers who receive notice of ride requests have three choices — accept the fare offered, ignore the offer, or bargain for a higher price.
“Until today, taxi services in Uganda did not leave any choice for locals when it came to the cost of the trip. Users were only offered to agree to the price specified in the app,” said Egor Fedorov, Chief Marketing Officer, inDriver.
Fedorov says inDriver is changing this situation and giving the riders/passengers the power to set their fares. Upon which if the driver agrees, the trip can then start.
“We want customers and drivers to independently and directly determine the fair and favorable price of each trip. Already today, residents of Kampala, using inDriver, will be able to make sure that the cost of travel can be significantly lower than the usual prices,” he said.
PC Tech Magazine has been told that inDriver on the other hand doesn’t assign drivers automatically to the riders/passengers. Once the counter offers are in, passengers selects their most suitable driver basing on their — fare, driver rating(s), estimated time of arrival or vehicle model.
Kampala becomes the first city in Uganda and in Africa where inDriver is operating. They are to expand their operations to Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. However, a timeline of the expansion hasn’t been confirmed to us.
inDriver claims to have already connected more than 1,000 drivers in Kampala, and dozens of new drivers are being registered daily.
At the initial stage after the start, inDriver will not charge drivers any commission.
The app is available for download for Android and iOS users.
