InDrive Business Model: How it Works and Makes Money in 2026?

Key Takeaways (TL; DR)

• InDrive is a global ride-hailing and delivery platform that allows customers and service providers to negotiate fares.
• Indrive’s business model allows riders and delivery customers to negotiate fares directly with drivers and courier companies.
• Indrive works in a simple way in which customers request services and set their prices, and service providers can either accept, reject, or counteroffer.
• The multi-service platform generates revenue through low commissions and in-app advertising.
• The company has recently rolled out its grocery app in Kazakhstan as a strategic move to turn into a superapp.

InDrive is a global ride-hailing and delivery platform that stands out for its unique peer-to-peer pricing model. Here, customers propose their own price, and service providers can accept, reject, or negotiate. This ultimately ensures a fair and transparent process for both customers and drivers. That’s why InDrive got higher acceptance in cost-sensitive and emerging markets.

For businesses looking to dive into the ride-hailing market, understanding how the leading platform operates and makes money is important. This article will take you through the InDrive business model, providing a key understanding of how it works, key partners, resources, revenue streams, and its future outlook.

About InDrive: A Deep Dive into the Company’s Successful Journey

InDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform known for its unique peer-to-peer model, where both passengers and drivers can negotiate ride fares.

Back in December 2012 in Yakutsk, Russia, the local taxi companies raised fares when outside temperatures dropped steeply. In response to unfair price hikes, a group of local students came together and created a collective group of “Independent Drivers” on social media, in which drivers and passengers would negotiate fares.

Initially started as a community-driven ride service, it took the form of inDrive in 2013 by Arsen Tomsky.

InDrive Company Overview

Founded on: June 24, 2013

Founder: Arsen Tomsky

Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA

Services: Ride-hailing for city-to-city and inter-city rides, Delivery, Fintech, and Grocery

Key People: Arsen Tomsky (CEO and Founder), Yuri Misnik (Chief Digital and Technology Officer)

Annual Revenue (2025): $2.2 billion

Fast forward to today, InDrive is the second-most downloaded app worldwide with over 400 million installations. Moreover, the company today operates in around 48 countries and 1065 cities worldwide, with Latin America, Asia, and Africa being the key markets.

In these many years, InDrive has positioned itself as more than just a ride-hailing platform by expanding to delivery, grocery, and fintech services, just like other popular superapps. With its commitment to fairness, the company has been successful in building a people-first mobility ecosystem where the economic decisions of both drivers and riders are valued.

Now, let’s have a brief idea about how the company is.

InDrive Success Timeline:

• On the date of Dec 2014, inDrive crossed the border and was introduced internationally in Astana, Kazakhstan.
• 100 million rides were booked via the inDrive app, with 5 million signed-up riders on the solution in Feb 2017.
• In November 2018, inDrive decided to expand its services to Africa and Arusha in Tanzania.
• In 2018, the company set up a temporary office in New York City and, later, officially based its headquarters in Mountain View, California.
• In the early part of 2021, it achieved the status of a unicorn and was holding the $150m investment.
• By the end of March 2022, inDrive expanded the firm by setting up its service hubs in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
• The firm rebranded its name from “inDriver” to “InDrive” In October 2022.
• In February 2023, the company raised an investment of $150 million from General Catalyst for an innovative hybrid instrument for marketing and growth.
• In February 2024, the firm launched InDrive Money to provide cash loans to drivers operating on its platform in Mexico.
• Further, the company stepped into the US market by launching its services in Miami, Florida, in July 2024.
• In September 2024, the firm achieved a huge milestone of closing 5 billion deals on its platform.
• In mid-2025, it announced the first rollout of its superapp in Kazakhstan while launching its grocery services in the same country.
• At the end of November 2025, the company hit a new record of completing 7+ million rides in one day.
• In December 2025, the company signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Ai Driver (an autonomous mobility company in Saudi Arabia) and the national official dealer of WeRide to pilot autonomous ride-hailing services in Saudi Arabia.

InDrive Funding Rounds

To date, InDrive has raised a total funding of $537 million, including General Catalyst as the major investor with a total funding of $300 million. Here are the key details of InDrive’s funding rounds.

Source: Crunchbase

Understanding InDrive’s Business Model

Now, let’s have a detailed understanding of each factor of InDrive’s business model.

Key Partners

To ensure smooth and scalable operations, the company collaborates with different partners that support its ride-hailing and delivery ecosystem.

• Independent drivers who provide ride-hailing services for intercity travel and daily commuting.
• Courier services use bikes, cars, and trucks for both local and long-distance delivery.
• Payment gateway providers for secure transactions between customers and service providers
• Businesses like restaurants, grocery shops, online stores, clothing retailers, and more that use an on-demand platform for delivery
• Logistics and freight operators handling bulk deliveries and shipments
• Fleet operators and companies providing vehicles to drivers on lease
• Legal and compliance advisors to ensure adherence to regulations and safety standards across different regions
• Technology partners for app development and maintenance with key features like smart matching, demand prediction, and scalability
• Mapping and navigation partners like Google Maps and Mapbox for smart route optimization.

Key Activities

InDrive’s core activities are focused on managing the platform and ensuring transparency between customers and service providers.

• Regularly maintaining mobile apps and backend systems for efficient ride-hailing and delivery services.
• Managing the fare negotiation system between customers and service providers
• Planning and running marketing campaigns and customer acquisition strategies
• Expanding services to new locations
• Providing 24/7 support to all platform users, including riders, drivers, and courier services.

Value Proposition

The platform ensures fair and transparent pricing for customers while ensuring profitable earnings for providers.

For Riders and Delivery Customers:

• Customers can offer their own prices for taxi rides or courier services.
• The platform prevents surge pricing, which makes costs predictable.
• Customers can track trips and deliveries using the app.
• Users can choose drivers or courier companies based on their ratings and profiles.
• The app allows customers to add multiple pickup or drop-off locations within a single request instead of creating separate requests.

For Drivers and Courier Companies:

• Professionals can either accept, reject, or counter the offered price by the customers.
• The platform provides complete freedom to service providers to negotiate the pricing
• Drivers and delivery companies can operate flexibly rather than following fixed schedules
• It allows both drivers and courier companies to earn more with fare negotiation and additional tips

Customer Relationships

The multi-service platform aims to build transparent relations between customers and service providers through its services.

• Customers can directly communicate with service providers through in-app chat and calls
• Consumers can access the door-to-door courier delivery service.
• The platform provides cash loans to drivers for a period based on their performance.
• Newly joined service providers receive vouchers for completing a set number of trips within a specified timeframe.
• The fare negotiation feature makes the overall cost of ride-sharing or delivery affordable for customers.
• The app also offers special discounts to new users on different occasions.
• Consumers are provided with the review feature to rate a particular driver.

Customer Segment

The app serves a wide range of users for both ride-hailing and delivery services.

Customers:

• Daily commuters requiring on-demand taxi services
• Users do not have their own vehicles
• Restaurants, grocery shops, and retailers offering delivery services
• Businesses handling local freight and bulk shipments

Drivers and Courier Firms:

• Independent drivers looking for flexible working opportunities
• Drivers who want to have an additional source of income
• Two-wheeler riders offering small courier deliveries
• Truck drivers providing freight and bulk deliveries
• Courier companies that want to expand their services

Key Resources

The multi-service platform requires several key assets to support its operations, which include:

• Mobile and web applications for riders, drivers, and courier firms on Android and iOS
• Payment systems for secure transactions
• Verification systems to ensure trustworthy operations for customers
• Data and analytics tools for smart navigation and route optimization
• A strong brand presence in the ride-hailing and delivery markets
• Growing network of drivers, courier services, and other key business partners

Channels

InDrive reaches its customers through different marketing channels, such as:

• Earlier, it used word of mouth for marketing
• It also used creative and digital ads
• Later, it used social media marketing and digital marketing campaigns
• Dedicated apps for customers, drivers, and courier companies
• Then it conducted referral programs for drivers, riders, and delivery companies
• It also partnered with local businesses and merchants

Cost Structure

To stay competitive, the app requires continuous spending for:

• Development and maintenance of mobile and web applications
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure costs
• Salaries of technical, operational, and support teams
• Marketing and promotions
• Customer support operations

How InDrive Works?

InDrive works in a simple flow where customers request a service, suggest their price, and service providers have the option to either accept or negotiate the price.

Service Booking and Fare Negotiation Process

• The customers will initially log into the app and choose whether they want to book a ride or delivery services.
• The user will then enter the pickup and drop-off locations along with any additional stops if required.
• Next, the customers will set the initial price that they would be willing to pay for the ride or delivery.
• All nearby drivers will receive the request and can either accept it or send a counteroffer.
• The customer will receive offers, review them, and choose the provider based on price, ratings, estimated arrival time, and distance.
• The booking gets confirmed once both sides agree on a specific price and the trip or delivery finally starts.

Provider Selection and Rating System

• Each service provider has a profile that provides key information like name, experience, completed trips, and deliveries.
• Besides, customer ratings of past rides are also visible to users to help them make the right choice.
• Features like verified IDs and real-time tracking ensure safety for both customers and service providers.
• After the trip completes, both the customer and the service provider are requested to leave feedback, which helps the platform maintain service quality and trust.

How InDrive Makes Money?

The platform earns through multiple revenue streams while ensuring fair pricing for both customers and service providers. Here’s an overview of InDrive’s revenue model.

Service Commissions

InDrive charges a small commission, usually between 5-10%, for each completed ride or delivery from service providers. The low commission model allows the platform to attract more providers and increase platform adoption.

In-App Advertising

Because of the app’s large user base, it becomes an effective medium for local brands and businesses to promote their services through in-app banners. This helps the app generate additional income.

Subscription Plans

For service providers looking for better visibility and growth, the app offers subscription plans. In this, they can pay a set monthly or annual fee to get more service requests with lower commission charges.

B2B Partnerships

The platform partners with local businesses like corporate offices, logistics firms, and merchants through service contracts and enterprise agreements. This generates a predictable income.

Future of InDrive

In August 2025, InDrive launched its grocery app in Kazakhstan, which allows users to order groceries at negotiated prices from nearby local stores. For this, the app has partnered with local supermarkets and grocery shops.

The reason behind choosing Kazakhstan as the pilot market is the rise of digital adoption in the country. Also, it serves as a central hub for the company’s R&D and operations, as its largest workforce is based there.

Moreover, in the future, InDrive is planning to integrate its core services of ride-hailing, delivery, groceries, freight, and fintech in one superapp while keeping its bid-based pricing model at the center. This means customers will not need separate apps to fulfill their daily needs.

All services will be accessed and managed in one place. This approach is specifically designed for cost-sensitive markets that prefer low-cost digital solutions. Besides, it is also considered to be a strategic move based on the rising demand for superapps globally.

How Elluminati Can Help You Build an App Like InDrive

For businesses looking forward to entering the on-demand ride-hailing and delivery market, understanding the InDrive business model is essential. Its peer-to-peer pricing and multi-service approach make it ideal for cost-sensitive markets. However, the key to success for businesses lies in having a platform that can handle ride-hailing and delivery services efficiently.

That’s where Elluminati becomes your perfect partner. With 14+ years of experience in building on-demand platforms, we help businesses create a user-friendly platform with an InDrive clone script that brings ride-hailing and courier services in one place. With dedicated modules for drivers, customers, and service partners, our ready-to-launch app ensures smooth operations with personalized experiences.

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