By means of Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
INDRIVE is betting big on the Philippines as it plans to expand its presence in the country to challenge the local ride-hailing market, said Natalia Makarenko, marketing director for Asia Pacific.
“InDrive just relaunched months ago. The company is gaining a lot of traction so far. We now operate in six cities in the Philippines. By 2025, we plan to expand to even more cities,” Ms. Makarenko said in an interview with Business world.
Before joining inDrive in 2022, Ms. Makarenko led client strategy consulting and marketing at Deloitte CIS and Jakala.
She also contributed to the digitalization of marketing for the pharmaceutical and biomedical company Bayer CIS.
Mobility and urban services platform inDrive, operated by RL Soft Corp., relaunched its services in the Philippines in June. It currently operates in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, Iloilo, Butuan and Cagayan de Oro.
So far, inDrive is seeing significant growth in both its passenger and driver bases, she said, adding that the number of active users continues to grow as more Filipinos seek mobility services in the metro.
“Starting the business is always interesting because there are a lot of unknowns in marketing and business development. You have to come up with new strategies to promote the company,” she said, adding that the company considers the Philippines as one of its key markets.
inDrive said that given the country’s long-standing struggle against traffic congestion, it is crucial to understand public transportation needs while assessing road capacity to create effective and sustainable solutions for Filipinos.
The company recognizes the role of ride-hailing apps in bridging transportation gaps, especially as the Philippines offers a robust market for transportation network vehicle services (TNVS), with strong demand not only in the capital but also in other key cities.
“It seems like the Philippines is a market where we can grow and achieve our goals because there are many underrepresented communities where we can make an impact. That is what drives us even more than business results,” said Ms. Makarenko.
In Southeast Asia, inDrive operated in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand before expanding its presence in the Philippines. To date, the company operates in 750 cities worldwide.
Currently, inDrive only offers ride-hailing services in the Philippines but plans to expand its services soon, Ms. Makarenko said.
“For the Philippines, we now focus exclusively on car trips, mainly because of the laws and regulations we have to adhere to. That is our priority,” Ms Makarenko said.
For its expansion, the company is considering adding two-wheel services, cargo delivery and courier services in the Philippines.
“We are considering many options including two-wheelers, freight delivery, intercity rides and couriers. However, it will depend on the regulations,” she noted.
“I think that in five years, inDrive will have a great opportunity to dominate the taxi industry worldwide,” she said.
This year, the company aims to double its driver base from the current 8,000 to at least 16,000 by the end of 2024 in the Philippines.