inDrive turns to ads and groceries to diversify revenue

Summary

Known for its bidding-based approach to fares, inDrive is deepening its push beyond ride-hailing by rolling out advertising across its top 20 markets and expanding grocery delivery to Pakistan, executing on a “super app” strategy outlined last year to build new revenue streams and boost engagement while sustaining growth in price-sensitive markets. The latest move by the Mountain View, California–headquartered firm comes as ride-hailing platforms face intensifying competition and tighter margins across emerging markets, pushing companies to look beyond transport for growth. Advertising offers a high-margin revenue stream that scales with usage, while grocery delivery increases how frequently users open the app. The combination could help inDrive reduce reliance on ride commissions while reinforcing its core mobility business. InDrive has built its position on affordability, using a peer-to-peer negotiation model that lets riders and drivers agree on fares directly rather than relying on fixed pricing. It nonetheless operates in a crowded market alongside global players such as Uber and local micro-commuting options including taxis and autorickshaws, prompting the company to look beyond rides alone. That backdrop shaped inDrive’s “super app” strategy, aimed at adding higher-frequency services such as grocery delivery in frontier and emerging markets. Advertising on inDrive is being rolled out across markets including Mexico, Colombia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Morocco. The rollout follows mid-2025 tests that delivered hundreds of millions of impressions and drew interest from global consumer brands and banks, said Andries Smit, inDrive’s chief growth business officer, in an interview. The advertising business will initially focus on placements within the app, including during the waiting period after a ride is booked and while passengers are en route, moments that generate high engagement and sustained attention, Smit told TechCrunch. In-car and on-vehicle adv...