If you’ve noticed more bike and car icons popping up on your ride app lately, there’s a reason for that. inDrive has quietly grown its footprint to 30 cities across Pakistan, making it one of the widest-reaching ride-hailing platforms in the country right now. But here’s the odd part: even with all that expansion, most people still aren’t calling a ride through an app. That contradiction is worth unpacking.
Why inDrive’s Expansion Matters for Pakistan
A regional director at inDrive recently pointed out that the company now runs in 30 Pakistani cities, putting it ahead of names like Yango and Bykea, both of which still operate in a much smaller number of locations. From the company’s side, this isn’t just growth for the sake of it. Executives have openly said Pakistan is one of the most promising markets left simply because so few people are using ride-hailing services at all.
Why Adoption Is Still So Low
This is the part that surprised even industry insiders. Only about 5 percent of Pakistanis use ride-hailing apps, compared to nearly 20 percent worldwide. That’s not a small gap, and it doesn’t come down to one single reason. A few things are holding people back:
- Patchy or slow internet in smaller towns and rural areas
- Older users and first-time smartphone owners not being comfortable with the apps
- Families being cautious about women travelling alone through app-based rides
- Limited trust in digital payments, especially where cash is still king
- The inDrive app itself not always being available outside bigger cities
What This Actually Means If You’re a Rider
For someone in a smaller city trying this out for the first time, the appeal is real. inDrive lets you negotiate your fare directly with the driver instead of just accepting whatever price the app sets, which is something a lot of Pakistani users seem to like. It also means more choice than the usual rickshaw or shared van.
Before you book your first ride, a few things worth doing:
- Download the app and get your number verified
- Take a second to check the driver’s rating before confirming
- Agree on the fare through the app before the ride starts
- Send your trip details to someone at home, just as a precaution
- Carry a bit of cash anyway, in case the digital payment doesn’t go through
Conclusion
inDrive reaching 30 cities is a solid step, but the real test is whether ordinary Pakistanis start trusting and using these apps day to day. If you’re in one of these cities and haven’t tried it yet, downloading the app and taking one short ride is probably the easiest way to find out if it works for you.
