Latest news with #InDrive
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
LTFRB issues show cause order vs inDrive over driver's alleged knife threat on passengers
A show cause order was issued to ride-hailing company inDrive after one of its driver allegedly threatened to stab passengers, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said Thursday. In a statement, LTFRB chairperson Atty. Teofilo Guadiz III said the show cause order is urging inDrive to explain why its accreditation should not be suspended or cancelled for the alleged violation. The transport network company has been ordered to file a written answer within 10 days from the receipt of the show cause order. According to the LTFRB, the respondent will also have to attend the hearing of the case on July 31. If inDrive fails to comply, the LTFRB said it means the firm has waived its part to be heard and a P5,000 penalty will be imposed against the company. InDrive was summoned for 'Operating as PUV without Proper Authority from the Board/Failure to Provide Safe Adequate Comfortable and Dependable Public Land Transportation Service,' the LTFRB said. Guadiz said the LTFRB is set to study possible imposition of more stringent requirements and qualifications for drivers of transport network companies following the 'life-threatening' incident. 'We issued the show-cause order to TNC InDrive and we may require more stringent requirement qualification for drivers of TNC,' Guadiz said. 'We are initiating this action in order to avoid the duplication of such life-threatening incidents. Incidents like brandishing a deadly weapon to your passengers is something that should not be happening and should not be experienced by any passenger riding the public transportation,' he added. Recently, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) announced the 90-day suspension of the driver's license of a transportation network vehicle service (TNVS) driver who allegedly attempted to stab passengers. GMA News Online has sought comment from inDrive but the company has yet to provide a statement as of the posting of this story InDrive country government relations manager John Louie Balagot earlier said the company has been trying to contact the driver. 'Yun ang nakakalungkot kasi (It's saddening because) we have been trying to contact the driver since we learned about the incident kaso hindi siya sumasagot (but he is not replying),' said John Louie Balagot, InDrive country government relations manager. InDrive has banned the said driver since it was clear that he refuses to cooperate with the investigation. 'Vinerify muna namin yung ride. Tiningnan namin kung nagkaroon ng booking sa platform namin sa mga oras na iyon using the name of the passenger and the driver and the plate number tapos nakita namin na totoo naman ang nasabi ng pasahero na hindi siya na-drop off sa tamang lokasyon,' Balagot said. (Upon checking if such a booking was made, we verified that the driver did not drop the passengers off at the right location.) — Joviland Rita/RF, GMA Integrated News
Business Recorder
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Yango, inDrive and GoEasy: Who will benefit from Careem's exit?
In another two days, Careem will officially have ended services in Pakistan. A sad time for the many commuters across the country who had come to rely on them, and a bit of a gut punch for those following the country's economic progress - especially in terms of startups and ecommerce. Careem to end ride-hailing services in Pakistan, blames 'challenging macroeconomic reality' Careem achieved unicorn status. It got bought up by ride-hailing giant Uber for $3.1 billion dollars. And, granted it was set up in Dubai, but it was founded by a Pakistani and Pakistanis considered it a credit to the country. But can we still claim it as ours if it doesn't even operate here anymore? Many analysts have given their two cents on why Careem ended Pakistani operations - ranging from unsustainable operational costs and intense competition to persistent user churn challenges affecting profitability. Now, it's time to look to the future, who stands to benefit from its exit? Two names come to mind instantly: inDrive and Yango. And then there is another player: GoEasy, offering shuttle services and backed by logistics company PTN. It says it has acquired the client base of Swvl - which exited Pakistan in 2022. Business Recorder reached out to all three to understand their future plans and what efforts they are making to ensure they don't end up like Careem. InDrive: 'we want to make the pie bigger' InDrive launched its ride‑hailing app in 2013 in Russia, after starting as a grassroots community-based concept in late 2012. It came to Pakistan in 2021, with its distinctive 'Set Your Fare and Choose Your Driver' model. Courier services began two years later. Just a few days ago, it reported a 57% increase in the number of its courier partners during the first six months of 2025. When asked if they have a strategy in place to make the most of the vacuum left behind by Careem, Country Head, Awais Saeed told Business Recorder: 'Absolutely, however, our goal goes beyond filling the vacuum - it's to grow the market itself.' 'We want to make the pie bigger, not just claim a bigger slice of it. Pakistan has very limited ride hailing penetration (2% at the moment) compared to more developed countries. There is still a lot of untapped growth potential that we want to tap into.' He said InDrive is expanding its product offerings for both passengers and drivers. In the coming weeks, it plans to launch a category to serve users looking for 'more premium ride options.' 'At the same time, we're deepening our presence in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, where access to reliable transport is still a challenge. We've also ramped up our customer support capacity and are working closely with our driver community to create a more responsive and human-centred experience,' he said. Speaking of Careem, Saeed said the company 'did an incredible job of gaining trust in a new category and practically building the industry from the ground up. We have a lot of respect for the impact our counterparts at Careem have made.' However, he noted Pakistan's mobility sector has its unique set of challenges - regulatory uncertainty, evolving user expectations and macroeconomic headwinds. 'These factors can make it difficult for traditional, top-down pricing models to sustain long-term growth. It's a tough market.' So how does InDrive plan to avoid these pitfalls? 'Our approach is fundamentally different,' said Saeed. According to him, InDrive's peer-to-peer (P2P) pricing model lets drivers and passengers mutually agree on a fair price directly, giving them more control and flexibility, especially in volatile economic conditions. 'We don't rely on surge pricing or rigid algorithms. This, combined with the lowest commissions in the market, helps our driver-partners take home more of what they make,' he said. 'inDrive's approach is built on fair choice and economic empowerment for passengers and drivers alike. These values help us listen more, adapt faster, and build a model that resonates with the community we serve,' he added. 2. Yango wants to target corporate clients Yango is also originally from Russia and is a relatively new player in the country - entering Pakistan in 2023 with ride-hailing services, followed by courier service a year later. Yango Pakistan partners up with DealCart to launch grocery delivery Miral Sharif, Country Head of Yango Pakistan told us: 'We recognize that Careem's departure could leave a gap in areas - for corporate clients in particular - who have relied on technology-driven mobility for their employees and partners. To address this, we are excited to explore a dedicated corporate rides service designed to help businesses manage and optimize their transportation needs with greater transparency, reliability, and cost efficiency.' She said this is also aligned with the firm's broader SuperApp ambitions, 'where we aim to offer a seamless digital ecosystem of Mobility, Delivery, Shops and other everyday services targeted towards our everyday consumers to support Pakistan's growing digital economy.' Just a few days ago Yango added grocery delivery to its app. It is worth noting that Careem's similar 'Everything App' will continue to be built out of Pakistan. 'We see enormous potential to expand choice and value for our customers, while continuing to invest in local partnerships and the wider economy.' As for Careem, she said it had a longstanding role in Pakistan's ride-hailing market, and 'we respect the contributions they have made.' While not wanting to comment on the reasons for Careem's exit, she said Yango is 'committed to avoiding the challenges that can arise from a one-size-fits-all approach by focusing deeply on local partnerships, technology adaptation, and flexible pricing models suited to Pakistan's market conditions.' 'We believe that maintaining a close connection with our partner's drivers, customers, and future business clients helps us stay resilient and agile in a dynamic environment. We invest in operational efficiency and a strong compliance framework to make sure we are sustainable for the long term. We recognize that factors such as fuel prices and rupee devaluation do have a significant impact on the business, and we will continue to adapt responsibly to these external pressures.' GoEasy: back by one of the country's largest logistics firms GoEasy is a family-run business owned by logistics company PTN, which was founded in 1986. Like Yango, it also believes Careem's corporate clients will face a vacuum it hopes to fill. What sets it apart is its access to PTN's pre-existing fleet, client list and network. Director Salahuddin Hameed told Business Recorder PTN has one of the largest organized fleets in Pakistan, providing logistics services to several multinational clients like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dawlance. After the pandemic, it decided to use its resources to offer shuttle services. Its current client list of some 30 firms includes the Packages Group, Tata Textiles and Hamdard Group. This is a space in which it said it was competing with Egypt's Swvl. Interestingly, when Swvl pulled out of Pakistan in 2022, PTN made a deal with them for Rs50 million, which included acquiring 60% of its B2B client base and some of its employees. Pakistan's shrinking tech landscape: global companies exit amidst capital crunch The company offers its shuttle service in Karachi and Lahore and now has its eyes set on creating an app in the next eight to nine months that will open up the service to individual users. In the next five years, it hopes to run inter-city services as well. These plans existed before Careem ended services in the country, but Hameed believes GoEasy stands to benefit. He says many of Careem's shuttle service clients have already approached them. According to him, Careem was facing churn and financial issues, something PTN doesn't have to worry about because it knows the landscape of the Pakistani market well, having operated in it since 35 years. Furthermore, with its own fleet and own drivers the business model is very different to Careem, inDrive and Yango. 'Since the start, GoEasy has been on track with profit margin because the PTN Group has established a vision to only work on margins and not burn cash. Swvl in comparison was burning and it was only working on increasing its revenue, not on focusing on its bottom line. So as soon as investors started to back off, they had to exit the markets where they were losing.' He also thinks GoEasy is different from both Careem and Swvl because it believes in 'ccontrolled growth'. 'Excessive growth can cause harm. I think Careem lost as as soon as they saw hyper growth. Swvl was also doing that. We are currently focusing on control growth. We started with Karachi then expanded to Lahore. Next on the list will be Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan.'
Eyewitness News
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Eyewitness News
Protesting e-hailing drivers say policy, rate changes have hit their pockets hard
JOHANNESBURG - Protesting e-hailing drivers have complained that policy and rate changes made by service providers have hit their pockets the hardest. The group demonstrated outside Uber offices in Parktown, Johannesburg, on Tuesday, aggrieved by policy changes that have resulted in deductions of up to 50% from the funds they make on each of their trips. Uber driver, Florence Mokgwale, said that she now made ten times less than what she used to when she started ten years ago. The drivers returned to demonstrate after handing over a memorandum on Wednesday, and were promised a response by the close of business, which did not happen. The memorandum of demands said drivers wanted e-hailing companies to reduce commission to below 20%. They want the clients to be charged R8 per kilometre and for waiting time to be 60 cents per minute. They also asked for amnesty for the impounding of cars, which costs a lot to get back. Mokgwale added that she was not able to make ends meet. "In a month, at the beginning, you probably get R40,000 to R50,000, that's the profit that comes to you, and now it's less, you can't even pay rent, it's not even R3,000, it's minus." The group consisted of drivers from Uber, Bolt and InDrive, who want better pay.
Morocco World
06-07-2025
- Morocco World
Police Open Investigation After Ride-Sharing App Driver Allegedly Assaults Student in Rabat
Moroccan police have launched an investigation following a violent incident in Rabat involving a ride-sharing app, reportedly Indrive, and a university student. The incident took place on June 22, when the victim was with her friend and was awaiting the Indrive vehicle to come and pick them up from the Mega Mall shopping center in Rabat. The victim said she ordered a ride via the InDrive application. Upon the driver's arrival, the pair reportedly noticed a discrepancy between the car details provided, including color, model, and license plate. The driver was also accompanied by a woman. The two friends then refused to go with the driver, citing safety concerns. A verbal dispute soon turned into a physical assault . One of the women who ordered the ride was reportedly attacked when she attempted to take pictures of the vehicle's license plate. 'I wasn't notified that someone else was in the car. Then he asked me if it was I who ordered the ride. I said no, because I was afraid, and I put my phone on silent mode in case he'd get angry and start calling me. He then took my phone to check whether I was the one who made the ride order,' The victim told Morocco World News (MWN). Tensions escalated with the driver, who allegedly asked the woman accompanying him to get out of the car and beat the other woman who ordered the ride. 'He said if she would not do it, he would do it himself. Then the lady took me aside and attempted to calm him down, and started to talk to me, and I emphasized that I could not take the ride with him,' she said. The victim said she also tried to take pictures because he threatened her that he had her number and he would find her. The driver also attacked her, punching her in the face and causing serious injuries to her jaw. The driver reportedly fled the scene before the police's arrival. The victim filed a complaint against the driver, with an investigation ongoing to determine the circumstances of the case. Eventually, police identified the suspect and arrested him. Ongoing clash The case comes amid an already fragile situation marked by constant clashes between the ride-sharing application and taxi unions. Over the past months, several reports and viral videos have documented the clashes between taxi drivers and ride-sharing app drivers. One of the latest incidents took place in December last year. Videos and eyewitness accounts of the clash documented scenes of physical violence (notably an exchange of punches and kicks) and verbal abuse. The incident began when taxi drivers chased a ride-sharing driver through the streets of Rabat, converging reports indicated, adding that the chase started when the ride-sharing driver picked up a passenger at Agdal train station. Many similar incidents have taken place over the years, dividing opinions across Morocco. Some have called on the Moroccan government to set up clear regulations overseeing ride-sharing applications operating in the country. Earlier this month, Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Alaftit responded to concerns about the delicate challenges and the lack of regulations governing ride-sharing apps in Morocco. Laftit said that efforts are ongoing to develop a new system for taxis, noting that the current taxi system is no longer sustainable. He pledged a modern approach with technologies to tackle the situation, noting that the goal of a similar project is to establish a system that responds to the requirements of the current phase and meets citizens' aspirations without harming those working in the sector. In July last year, Moroccan police also responded to a complaint filed by a woman, who reported being subjected to insults, threats, and verbal abuse by a driver working for Indrive. Police intervention came after the victim shared a video in tears, recounting how the driver had threatened to 'take her to a deserted area and assault her and that nobody would know about what happened.' The woman also described how she narrowly escaped when the driver had horrifically attempted to assault her and rob her belongings in an isolated area. Tags: Indrive assault Moroccoindrive MoroccoIndrive RabatMorocco
New Straits Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
E-hailing drivers association welcomes govt move to suspend InDrive, Maxim
ALOR STAR: The Northern e-Hailing Drivers Association (NeHDA) has welcomed the government's decision to suspend the operations of two foreign e-hailing companies, Maxim and InDrive, effective July 24. Its chairman Zabidi Bahador said the move by the Transport Ministry and the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) was a critical step towards upholding regulatory compliance within the e-hailing industry. He said the two companies' failure to adhere to requirements, such as obtaining a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) licence and an E-hailing Vehicle Permit (EVP), had compromised user safety and tarnished the integrity of the local transport sector. "This decisive action ensures a level playing field for local e-hailing providers and helps safeguard drivers' income through more efficient enforcement on e-hailing operators and driver communities," he said in a statement today. Zabidi also warned against any reversal of the directive, saying it would undermine the credibility of enforcement agencies and be unfair to local companies that had complied with existing regulations. "We urge the ministry to remain firm and resist external pressure. Priority must be given to user safety, fairness for local drivers, and upholding the rule of law," he added. He said that NeHDA remains committed to advocating for a fair, safe, and competitive e-hailing ecosystem for all stakeholders. On May 9, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that Russian-based platforms InDrive and Maxim had been ordered to cease operations in Malaysia by July 24 for violating local transport regulations. The directive followed calls from the Malaysian P-Hailing Delivery Association, which claimed both platforms continued to operate without meeting the requirements of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715).
