inDrive plans to enter PHL motorcycle ride-hailing market
INDRIVE, a global ride-hailing app operated by RL Soft Corp., plans to enter the motorcycle ride-hailing market in the Philippines soon, according to a company official.
“In many countries in Southeast Asia, we have a big share of motorcycle rides. We have it in Thailand, and we have it in Laos as well. We are looking into launching motorcycle ride-hailing services in the Philippines,” inDrive Marketing Director for Asia-Pacific Natalia Makarenko told BusinessWorld on Tuesday.
inDrive has operations in 750 cities in 46 countries. In the country, the mobility and urban services platform operates four-wheel services in Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, Iloilo, Butuan, and Cagayan de Oro, with plans to expand its presence to more cities in the future.
The company is working on introducing additional services in the Philippines, such as intercity transportation, freight delivery, and courier delivery, with a focus on entering the two-wheeler services market, she said.
“I can only hope for this to happen next year, but again, the exact plans will depend on many things primarily on the LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) and other regulatory compliance,” Ms. Makarenko said.
Currently, ride hailing companies and accredited motorcycles-for-hire operate under a provisional authority, as Republic Act (RA) No. 4136, or the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, prohibits the use of two-wheeled vehicles for public transport.
In July, the proposed Motorcycles-For-Hire Act, aimed to amend RA 4136, was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.
“We want to roll out as many services as we can to bring freedom of choice to as many people in the Philippines as possible,” she said, adding that inDrive is hoping to launch its planned services at least by 2025.
For the year, the company is targeting to double its driver-base from the current 8,000 to at least 16,000 by end-2024.
“In many countries across the globe, we have many services within the mobility industry. We have two-wheelers, we have a cargo delivery, we have an Indrive Courier,” she said.
To recall, the company initially secured the approval of the LTFRB to offer its services in the Philippines in December 2023 but was suspended a month after due to alleged fare haggling violations. — Ashley Erika O. Jose