Peer-to-peer global mobility and urban services platform InDrive stated on Friday that it had begun offering freight services in three cities, including Mumbai and Delhi-NCR, marking its entry into the domestic logistics industry.
The California-based cab aggregator announced that it has entered the Indian market for the first time after realising the enormous potential and demand for effective and affordable freight transportation services in the nation.
According to inDrive Director Alexey Tryapitsyn, the company soon hopes to expand into other cities. The services were initially introduced in Delhi-NCR, Ludhiana, and Mumbai. In the following five years, he added, the goal is to finally hold down the No. 2 slot in the logistics sector.
Small businesses looking for delivery solutions for any 20 kg or more freight can use the inDrive app to obtain same-day and on-demand transportation services. For small and medium shipments, customers can choose from a wide variety of vehicles, including three-wheelers, pick-up trucks, and mid-sized trucks.
Since there are no set tariffs, the program also enables truck suppliers and clients to bargain over freight charges. InDrive offers urban services such as intercity transportation, freight delivery, task assistance, courier delivery, and employment search in addition to ride-hailing.
It is active in 614 cities spread across 47 nations. In order to pay for marketing expenses, such as user acquisition and retention expenditures, the platform obtained $150 million in a hybrid instrument from General Catalyst in February of this year.
Previously, a corporate representative from the California-based ride-hailing service inDrive announced that it would soon begin registering electric vehicles (EV) on its platform in the city. According to Mohan Pradhan, business development manager for India and Bangladesh at inDrive, this registration has already begun in Delhi with approximately 100 driver partners.
According to him, inDrive began operating in India in 2018 and is now accessible in 12 different locations, including Kolkata. “We have begun accepting EV registrations in Delhi, and 100 driving partners have already signed up. In the near future, we will soon begin accepting EV registrations in Kolkata and other places, he added.
Pradhan stated that roughly 10,000 rides are taken every day in Kolkata and that this number is closer to 50,000 in other regions of India where the company is now active.
He said that, in contrast to other companies now offering ride-hailing services, inDrive charges its driver-partners the least amount of commission per increase and allows them to choose their own rates.
