By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
INDRIVE is betting big on the Philippines because it plans to expand its presence within the country to challenge the local ride-hailing market, based on its Marketing Director for Asia-Pacific Natalia Makarenko.
“InDrive just relaunched months ago. The business is getting great traction to date. We now operate in six cities within the Philippines. For 2025, we plan to expand to much more cities,” Ms. Makarenko said in an interview with BusinessWorld.
Prior to joining inDrive in 2022, Ms. Makarenko led strategy consultation for customer and marketing at Deloitte CIS and Jakala.
She also contributed to the digitalization of selling for pharmaceutical and biomedical company Bayer CIS.
The mobility and concrete services platform inDrive, operated by RL Soft Corp., relaunched its services within the Philippines in June. It currently operates in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, Iloilo, Butuan, and Cagayan de Oro.
To date, inDrive is seeing significant growth in each its passenger and driver base, she said, adding that its lively users proceed to expand as more Filipinos seek mobility services within the metro.
“Launching the business is at all times interesting because there are lots of unknowns by way of marketing and business development. You might have to invent latest strategies to advertise the business,” she said, adding that the corporate considers the Philippines certainly one of its most vital markets.
inDrive said that with the country’s long-standing battle with traffic congestion, it’s crucial to grasp public transportation needs while assessing road capability to create effective and sustainable solutions for Filipinos.
The corporate recognizes the role of ride-hailing apps in bridging transportation gaps, especially because the Philippines offers a strong marketplace for transport network vehicle services (TNVS), with strong demand not only within the capital but additionally in other key cities.
“It looks just like the Philippines is a market where we are able to grow and achieve our goals because there are lots of underrepresented communities where we are able to make an impact. That’s what drives us even greater than business results,” Ms. Makarenko said.
In Southeast Asia, inDrive operated in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand before expanding its presence within the Philippines. So far, the corporate operates in 750 cities globally.
Currently, inDrive only offers automotive ride services within the Philippines but plans to expand its services soon, Ms. Makarenko said.
“For the Philippines, we at the moment are specializing in automotive rides only, mainly due to the regulations and laws now we have to abide by. That’s our priority,” Ms. Makarenko said.
For its expansion, the corporate is considering adding two-wheel services, freight delivery, and courier services within the Philippines.
“We’re considering many options, including two-wheelers, freight delivery, intercity rides, and couriers. Nonetheless, it’ll rely on the regulations,” she noted.
“I feel in five years, inDrive could have a powerful likelihood to dominate the ride-hailing industry globally,” she said.
For the yr, the corporate goals to double its driver base from the present 8,000 to a minimum of 16,000 by the top of 2024 within the Philippines.
