By 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, according to its Marketing Director for Asia-Pacific Natalia Makarenko.

“InDrive just relaunched months ago. The business is getting great traction so far. We now operate in six cities in the Philippines. For 2025, we plan to expand to even 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 marketing for pharmaceutical and biomedical company Bayer CIS.

The 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 base, she said, adding that its active users continue to expand as more Filipinos seek mobility services in the metro.

“Launching the business is always interesting because there are many unknowns in terms of marketing and business development. You have to invent new strategies to promote the business,” she said, adding that the company considers the Philippines one of its most important markets.

inDrive said that with the country’s long-standing battle with 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 transport network vehicle services (TNVS), with strong demand not only in the capital but also in other key cities.

“It looks 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’s what drives us even more than business results,” Ms. Makarenko said.

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 globally.

Currently, inDrive only offers car ride services in the Philippines but plans to expand its services soon, Ms. Makarenko said.

“For the Philippines, we are now focusing on car rides only, mainly because of the regulations and legislation we have to abide by. That is our priority,” Ms. Makarenko said.

For its expansion, the company is considering adding two-wheel services, freight 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 in five years, inDrive will have a strong chance to dominate the ride-hailing industry globally,” she said.

For the 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.