Known for its bid-based approach to rates, inDrive expanded its push beyond ride-hailing by launching advertising in the top 20 markets and expanding grocery deliveries to Pakistan, which took place in “super app” strategy limits the end of the year to build new revenue streams and boost engagement while maintaining growth in price-sensitive markets.
The latest move by the Mountain View, California-headquartered company comes as the ride-hailing platform faces increased competition and tighter margins in emerging markets, pushing the company to look beyond transportation for growth. Ads offer a high-margin revenue stream that scales with usage, while Wholesale posts increase how often users open the app. The combination could help inDrive reduce its reliance on ride commissions while strengthening its core mobility business.
InDrive has built its position on affordability, using a peer-to-peer negotiation model that allows riders and drivers to agree on live rates rather than relying on fixed prices. But it operates in a crowded market alongside global players such as Uber and local micro-commuter options including taxis and autorickshaws, making the company look beyond ride-hailing. The background is ingDrive’s “super app” strategy, which aims to increase higher frequency services such as grocery delivery in frontier and emerging markets.
Ads on inDrive are being rolled out in markets including Mexico, Colombia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Morocco. The launch follows a mid-2025 test that delivered hundreds of millions of impressions and attracted interest from global consumer brands and banks, Andries Smit, inDrive’s chief business growth officer, said in an interview.
The ad business will initially focus on in-app placement, including during the waiting period after a ride is booked and while passengers are on their way, moments that generate high engagement and sustained attention, Smit told TechCrunch.
In-car and in-vehicle advertising is part of our long-term roadmap. However, Smit said that inDrive plans to prioritize in-app formats until 2026, citing the operational complexity of in-car advertising in emerging markets and stronger initial returns from digital placement.
Pakistan, the next big market for inDrive’s “super app” toy
The focus on in-app advertising dovetails with inDrive’s push into groceries, a higher-frequency use case where the company expects to generate stronger engagement and advertising demand than just rides. InDrive is expanding grocery delivery in Pakistan, its second largest market after Kazakhstan, through a partnership with local black-market operator Krave Mart, which receive investment from inDrive in December 2024.
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Pakistan stands out, Smit said, because of the combination of rising demand for fast commerce and the size of inDrive itself in the market. Grocery retail remains highly fragmented and informal, while urban consumers are increasingly turning to app-based delivery as more households work and have family responsibilities. Together, inDrive has emerged as one of the leading mobility platforms in the country, offering a large and active user base to sell groceries without the high customer acquisition costs that many e-commerce startups weigh.
Since its launch in 2021, inDrive has continued to expand its footprint in Pakistan, with train volumes increasing by nearly 40% year-on-year in 2025, while shipments through courier services increased by 67% in the first half of the year, according to company data shared with TechCrunch. The company considers Pakistan to be one of the fastest growing markets worldwide, with high usage in major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Overall, inDrive operates ride-hailing services in more than 20 Pakistani cities and intercity services in more than 200 locations.
InDrive’s wholesale deployment in Pakistan will begin in Karachi, the country’s largest city and one of the company’s strongest markets, where users will be able to order their daily needs through the app with delivery times of around 20 to 30 minutes. The service will then expand to other major cities, including Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, later this year as inDrive sets up supply and logistics with Krave Mart. The platform plans to offer more than 7,500 products – including fresh produce, meat and dairy, snacks and household items – along with free delivery for orders above PKR 499 (about $2) with no service charge.
In addition to growing rapidly as a ride-hailing market, Pakistan is also emerging as a focal point for inDrive capital deployment. From the company Multi-year investment program of $100 million Announced at the end of 2023, Smit said the largest share so far was directed to Pakistan, although he declined to disclose specific figures. He added that at least half of the overall $100 million commitment has been distributed.
“We see tremendous potential in Pakistan,” Smit said. “Ideally, we want to continue and double (the investment) when we see the performance.”
InDrive’s growing focus on Pakistan comes despite investors being more wary of the market. Venture capital and public investors are largely absent amid geopolitical and macroeconomic risks, although activity is showing signs of recovery. Equity funding in Pakistan to grow 63% YoY in 2025 to $36.6 million across 10 rounds, according to a new report by Karachi-based startup analyst firm Data Darbar – well below $347 million and $331 million raised in 2021 and 2022.
However, the gap between investor caution and on-the-ground demand is exactly where inDrive sees an opportunity. Having operated in dozens of emerging markets, Smit said the company is more accustomed to volatility and less dependent on capital market sentiment changes, giving it the confidence to invest where others hesitate. With an established local business and a large active user base, he notes that inDrive can also help partners scale without spending heavily on customer acquisition – an advantage that becomes especially important when external funding is scarce.
InDrive’s push into advertising and commerce is fueled by scale. The company operates in 1,065 cities in 48 countries and has surpassed 360 million app downloads, making it the second most downloaded mobility app in the world for three consecutive years, after Uber, according to company data.
Going forward, inDrive expects advertising to become a more meaningful contributor in the medium term, especially as grocery and delivery volumes grow and create more opportunities for contextual promotions. Ride-hailing, which accounted for about 95% of inDrive’s revenue just a few years ago, is now closer to 85%, even as the core business continues to grow, reflecting how new verticals are starting to scale.
Grocery, delivery, advertising and, eventually, financial services are expected to play a larger role in the next three to five years as companies expand selectively in priority markets, Smit said.