When it comes to getting from A to B, many don’t have their own vehicles and depend on public transport. Public transport obviously comes at a cost and these costs vary depending on which means of transport you have chosen. All forms of public transport have one thing in common, the price is set and you have no say in the matter. This is all changing with the launch of InDriver in Cape Town which gives passengers as well as drivers the ability to bargain the price. inDriver is currently being used by 20 million people in more than 200 cities. Cape Town is the first city in South Africa to get access to inDriver with more cities to be added at a later date.
inDriver is a ride-hailing app which follows the Real Time Deals (RTD) model which allows passengers to choose how much they would like to pay to get to their destination and then drivers in the area can accept the offer or make a counteroffer through a bargaining process. This encourages a fair price for all. This bargaining process ensures that passengers pay what they want and drivers get paid what they want. The passenger can opt to wait and not accept the ride in the hopes of getting another driver to accept their offer. Once counter offers have been made, passengers are then able to choose their driver based on the fare, driver rating, estimated time of arrival and vehicle model. Passengers can also request a wait time. So if you would like to get a ride in 20 minutes, this is possible.
Passengers only pay drivers cash, at present, which cuts out transaction fees and middlemen. This allows passengers to pay less and drivers to earn more. While cash is king, credit cards will be accepted in the future.
Since many don’t know what a fair price is to pay, there is a feature in the app which gives you a guide on how much you should be paying for your trip. This is a nice way to work out if you are overpaying or not.
“inDriver was built to counter price surging by other ride-hailing companies and gives the power of setting prices back to passengers and drivers,” says inDriver spokesperson Lerato Moroe.
The inDriver app was born when a group of taxi drivers in Russia objected to price surges when temperatures dropped below 45 degrees Celsius by making a group on social media. This group of over 60K people group into the inDriver app.
One of the main advantages for inDriver drivers is that for the first 6 months, inDriver will not be taking any sort of commission. This means whatever cash the driver receives, the driver keeps. After 6 months, when inDriver starts taking their cut, this will be at about 5-7%, which is still lower than other ride-hailing app commission.
“Drivers can earn more with inDriver than on other apps because they have full freedom to choose any ride request they like without any risk of being penalised. They can see the full fare, point A and point B and then decide if they want to accept the request – a feature with big appeal, often requested by drivers,” says Moroe.
I asked inDriver what they have done to ensure that passengers, as well as drivers, are safe, as this is definitely an issue in South Africa. Firstly, all drivers are vetted using a background check and criminal record check. Secondly, drivers must have a PDP to be able to drive with inDriver. One of the key safety features that differentiate inDriver from other ride-hailing apps is that the driver can see where the pickup is before they accept the ride. If the driver is uncomfortable with the pickup location, they can reject the ride, without getting penalized. A safety button is in the works to provide assistance should drivers/passengers need help.
“Both parties are able to prioritize what matters most to them, in a safe and convenient way,” says Moroe. Riders can share the details of their ride with a friend, providing added security.
In order for a car to be accepted, the vehicle needs to be a 2010 or later, have a roadworthy certificate and must be a safe vehicle.
My experience using inDriver:
I decided to try out the inDriver app on Android and take a chance to see if I could get a short ride for just R2. After choosing a location and setting where I would like to go, I inputted that I would like to pay R2 for the ride. A pop up notified me that the minimum fare is R20 and that I should raise my fair to R20. Without doing so I was not able to request a ride, which is fair. After doing so, I was told that R20 may not be attractive to drivers and was recommended to raise my fair. I declined to do so and waited about 10 seconds and offers started to pour in. I had two offers, one for R30 and one for R25. The app displays the Drivers car, their name, their rating, how far away they are from your location and roughly how long it will take to get to you. Knowing when the driver will arrive is pretty useful but you can also track this on the map. With my two offers, I could either accept or decline. I decided to decline and some more offers displayed on the screen. Overall the app is really easy and simple to use and I like that everything is explained in the app so there is no confusion as to how inDriver works. Bidding for drivers also gave me the same rush I get from bidding on websites like Ebay 🙂
The inDriver app is available on Android and IOS. I tested out the Android app and it is simple and easy to use. The inDriver app also has popup messages to give advice such as if it is busy on the road which is helpful when planning a trip.
Getting inDriver on your phone is simple. You can download the Android or iPhone app from the respective play stores.
