New York gets a new ride-hailing service, inDriver

inDriver's Real Time Deals (RTD) model brings power back to the people and to the drivers by allowing the driver and the passenger to directly negotiate lower fares.

inDriver's unique business model aims to significantly enhance ride-hailing access for New Yorkers in the outer boroughs, who are often priced out of rides due to surge fares by other ride-hail apps. The inDriver app promises to provide affordable and efficient service to passengers in transportation deserts and underserved communities in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island, and will also be available to passengers in Manhattan for longer rides throughout the city.

The ride-hailing platform's RTD model allows passengers to set their own fare for their selected route. Nearby drivers are sent the destination and fare, and then the driver has the ability to either accept the offer or bargain for more money based on the rates pre-approved by the base. The passenger is presented with multiple offers from drivers and has the ability to choose the best fit based on the categories most important to the passenger, such as fare amount, driver ratings, estimated time of arrival, and vehicle make/model.

Unlike its competitors, inDriver is focused on providing fair compensation to drivers, and provides them the opportunity to preview routes before accepting a fare. In essence, drivers are given more control over the destinations they accept without fear of penalty.

For at least the first six months of operation in NYC, inDriver will charge drivers a zero percent commission fee, meaning they will receive the entire fare of every ride (excluding taxes, tolls, the Black Car Fund surcharge, and bank fees). Thereafter, the commission fee for drivers will only be 5-8%, significantly lower than other ride-hail services operating throughout the city. inDriver has already signed up more than 5,000 drivers in the NYC area.

“inDriver has thrived across the globe by advocating for the rights of both drivers and passengers in cities that are often overlooked by giant ride-hailing corporations,” said Arsen Tomsky, CEO of inDriver. “This is exactly why NYC is the perfect location for our U.S. debut. New Yorkers continue to be squeezed every day, whether it is outer borough passengers being priced out of rides, or drivers being forced to work long hours without being able to make ends meet. We are thrilled to enter the New York market and put ownership of the ride-hailing experience back in the hands of both the passenger and the driver.”

Founded in Yakutsk, Siberia in 2013, inDriver has a proven profitable business model, and is now used by more than 14 million people in 160 cities across 11 countries: USA, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador, Russia, Tanzania, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In February 2017, inDriver surpassed 100 million rides, and in August 2018, a mere four months after launching in Latin America, inDriver completed over 1 million rides in the LATAM region, followed by the second million rides completed in the LATAM region in just 3 weeks after that.

To date, inDriver has raised $15 million in funding from Leta Capital VC, including its Series B round announced earlier this year. The company also moved its headquarters to New York City, where its top management is now based.