Latest news with #inDrive
Morocco World
a day ago
- Automotive
- Morocco World
Taxis vs Ride-Sharing Apps: Morocco Pledges Reforms for Modern Transport System
Rabat – Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has responded to concerns about the ongoing, delicate challenges prompted by constant clashes between taxis and ride-sharing apps in Morocco. Efforts are ongoing to develop a new system for taxis, Laftit announced on Monday, noting that studies are being conducted to modernize the transport sector. Laftit's made the statement in response to MPs'' questions during a parliament session at the House of Representatives, where the minister stressed that the current taxi system is 'no longer sustainable and must be developed to meet the challenges.' He pledged a modern approach with technologies to tackle the situation, noting that the goal of a similar project is to establish a system that responds to the requirements of the current phase and meets citizens' aspirations without harming those working in the sector. Laftit's remarks come amid an ongoing delicate situation marked by constant clashes between taxis and ride-sharing applications, especially In-Drive. Over the past months, several reports and viral videos have documented the clashes between taxi drivers and ride-sharing app drivers. One of the latest incidents took place in December last year. Videos and eyewitness accounts of the clash documented scenes of physical violence (notably an exchange of punches and kicks) and verbal abuse. The incident began when taxi drivers chased a ride-sharing driver through the streets of Rabat, converging reports indicated, adding that the chase started when the ride-sharing driver picked up a passenger at Agdal train station. Many similar incidents have taken place over the years, dividing opinions across Morocco. Some have called on the Moroccan government to set up clear regulations overseeing ride-sharing applications operating in Morocco. In May, minister Laftit warned taxi drivers, stressing that any attempt to stop drivers working for ride-sharing apps by individuals or groups outside the competent legal authorities should be punished by law. Laftit also acknowledged that using private cars to transport people through apps without licenses is illegal, pledging that security forces are actively working to handle the situation. In March, professional taxi unions asked Morocco's High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) to end broadcasting an in-Drive advertisement oin public television channels, like 2M. The unions argued that the decision to air promotional content for inDrive is a flagrant violation of national laws, especially since the ride-sharing application operates without proper licensing in Morocco. It remains to be seen whether Morocco's new project will tackle the ongoing saga between the two taxi drivers and ride-sharing applications, with the goal of appeasing both sides while above all ensuring the comfort of residents and citizens. Tags: indriveMoroccan Taxis
The Print
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Print
Grindr is dying. The final nail in the coffin is ads
For some time now, the app had begun to get tiresome. No matter how many Western TV shows talked about it, each new batch of profiles would feature 'looking for gym-toned' or 'don't text if girlish' in their bio. But even as my generation—the Gen Z elders—navigated the problems of fatshaming and transphobia, we clung to hope. Some have already quit, while others have become infrequent users. And there are those who have been 'Grindr sober' for months. It's the end of an era. Grindr is dying, and it's not the 'paid top' profiles, the 'high fun' peddlers, or even the safety risk that is doing it—it's the ads. We'd ignore the homophobes and the closet cases. We'd let down the people we weren't interested in with a gentle 'sorry', rather than the industry-standard block. Naturally, it was also a hotbed of insecurity. If someone sent their pictures and you didn't reply within five minutes, there was a good chance they'd block you. Or send a cryptic question mark. And if you ask me if I've been guilty of this, I'd request you to get in touch with my lawyer, please and thank you. It was a brutal place. It's where closeted college bros came to get their weekly fix, where bicurious men toed the edge of desire, and sometimes, where a cis woman could be found casually hanging out. While the last one remains a mystery to me, I also found lovers and formed friendships on the app. Before I got my first phone—a cute Samsung Galaxy J2—Facebook was where I'd find other gays. It was fairly straightforward—visit a cyber cafe, pay Rs 20 for an hour, use a fake profile to join a group called 'Gays in Nashik', and voila! All the gays in the city at your fingertips, from married grandpas to mean twinks. And then Grindr came on the scene. It was perfect. You could be anonymous, and it showed how far a guy was, so you'd know to block a profile if it was 1 metre away. Even better, you didn't have to bother opening Facebook anymore. I remember counting the profiles in my town and feeling a sense of relief—there were more like me out there. Once in a while, I'd find myself staying up till 3 am, telling a guy my life story and hearing his in return. Granted, there were the fake profiles and the creeps and the fear of being kidnapped by an older man. But those of us who were lucky learned our way around the potholes. Also read: Modern romance comes with EMIs & Splitwise accounts. It really isn't a sport for the broke Who is Grindr for? Grindr was a brutal place, but it offered freedom. And now, you can't even text the gentleman with a peach emoji as his username without getting an ad for inDrive. The bigger problem is, not a single person I know uses inDrive. I wouldn't be able to tell you if it is an obscure software or the newest clean energy 'solution'. But here I am, trying to hit the microscopic 'close' symbol on the ad and getting redirected to the inDrive webpage instead. All when I should be texting a semi-desperate 'heyy' to the cutie on metro, as god willed it when he compelled that Israeli guy to create Grindr in the first place. The app has lost its way. Who is Grindr serving these days? Not the trans girlies, not the geriatric twinks, not the moustached uncles—just Swiggy Instamart and 'best no wifi car games'. That's the real insult—the ads aren't remotely queer. Where are the tote bags with Rekha's face on them? What about dangly earrings, black nail paint, graphic eyeliner? You know it's the end times when capitalism doesn't bother to be convenient anymore. To be fair, Grindr is neither the only app to run ads, nor is it the first one. I've often closed Tinder after being redirected to Myntra. The latter has a much greater variety of bottoms, after all. But there's a key difference: the other apps still let the user, well, use them. With Grindr, what began as a polite nudge to get the 'Xtra' plan is now the only way it'll let you use the app. Over the last few years, Grindr has slowly moved one feature after another into its paid category. Once upon a time, you could see the profiles that had checked you out—a cue I believe some gay intern passed along to LinkedIn eventually. You could see all the profiles that had 'tapped' yours—a way of showing interest in a low-key, chilled-out, non-cringe manner. And before all this, there were 'tribe' grids to help you filter the kind of people you wanted to meet: twinks, bears, trans folks. In the words of a friend, 'When I couldn't find geeks from 60 km away, that's when Grindr died.' There are those (allegedly) thriving on Grindr Xtra. They can access 600 profiles, see who's tapped them, and create multiple albums to keep their nice pictures separate from the naughty ones. But most people scoff at the idea of paying for a hookup app, especially one that crashes every five minutes. As Redditors often do, one summed it up best. 'Why would you pay for this garbage.' The problems were always there. The app broke down too often, it was hilariously unsafe, and prolonged exposure left you feeling ugly and doomed to loneliness. The ads are just the final nail in the coffin. 'I'm almost on the verge of quitting,' said a junior from school. 'What's keeping me here is the lack of an alternative.' While many like him are waiting for a better gay app to come along, an exodus has already begun. Gays, I hear it, are migrating from Grindr to Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge. Some are even turning to PlanetRomeo, Grindr's older, but less popular cousin. Most likely, they won't find much luck there—dating apps are failing across the board. So what happens now? Is it time for the gays to emerge, blinking, from the caves of digital desire? To face the nauseating prospect of flirting in real life, perhaps? To see people in their context? It's best to be safe before one goes and does something rash, though. Who knows, PlanetRomeo might just turn out to be lovely. Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Ride-hailing sector calls for fair taxation
KARACHI: Ride-hailing sector has called for fair and progressive taxation framework in the coming fiscal budget. Amid the country's growing urban population, a lack of adequate public transport, rising fuel costs, traffic congestion, and parking challenges, ride-hailing services have seen substantial growth in recent years. Despite this progress, industry experts argue that the current uniform service tax is hindering further expansion. 'It's concerning that platforms charging drivers commissions as low as 10% are subjected to the same service tax rates as those taking up to 25%,' said Anton Ambrose, Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for inDrive in the Asia-Pacific region. Ambrose proposed a tiered taxation model in the upcoming budget. 'Platforms that charge less than 11% commission should be completely exempt from service tax,' he recommended. 'Those with commission rates between 11% and 15% could be taxed at 5%, while platforms exceeding 15% commission should fall into the 15% or higher tax bracket.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
GMA Network
22-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
inDrive grows driver-partners base to 20K as of Q1 2025
Ride-hailing firm inDrive has expanded its network of driver-partners to over 20,000 as of the first quarter of 2025. In an interview in Quezon City on Thursday, inDrive Asia-Pacific head of driver operations Nikolay Olesov said the company is growing steadily since it resumed operations in June last year —after a five-month suspension ordered by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board over violations of the agency's fare matrix. 'We continue growing. We already have [over] 20,000 drivers,' Olesov said. By the end of the year, inDrive is targeting to expand its network of driver-partners by 30% to 40%. inDrive's ride-hailing services are currently available in six cities, namely Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, Iloilo, Butuan, and Cagayan de Oro. Asked if the company will bring its presence to more areas in the country this year, Olesov said, 'For now, we are focusing mostly in Metro Manila.' 'But for sure, in the future, we would like to extend our operations in the country,' he said. Meanwhile, inDrive has signed a partnership with SEAOIL Philippines for the ride-hailing firm's 'Drive Loyalty Program,' under which its driver-partners will gain access to exclusive fuel discounts, priority cards, reward incentives, and additional perks from the fuel retailer's stations nationwide. inDrive also honored its Top Platinum Driver for the first quarter 2025, 'recognizing excellence in service, rider satisfaction, and ride volume.' —RF, GMA Integrated News
Business Recorder
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
inDrive reshapes ride-hailing landscape
ISLAMABAD: inDrive, a global mobility and urban services platform, has reshaped the ride-hailing landscape in Pakistan with its pioneering 'Set Your Fare and Choose Your Driver' model, giving passengers full control over their ride experience. Unlike other ride-hailing apps where pricing is driven by automated algorithms, inDrive offers a fresh, human-centric approach. Passengers can propose their own fare and choose a driver based on key criteria such as ratings, vehicle type, estimated time of arrival, and distance. This unique model ensures greater freedom, transparency, and fairness – enabling both customers and drivers to make informed, mutually beneficial decisions. Muhammad Awais, Country Lead at inDrive Pakistan, said: 'Since its launch in Pakistan in 2021, inDrive has expanded to 20 cities for local rides. We were the first to introduce the 'Set Your Fare and Choose Your Driver' model in the country – and the response has been incredible. Pakistani users appreciate the flexibility to negotiate fares and personalize their ride options according to their preferences. This level of autonomy has helped build trust and foster a strong sense of community on our platform. It's one of the key reasons inDrive has become the second most downloaded ride-hailing app globally and the fifth most downloaded app in the travel category.' inDrive's commitment to fairness and inclusivity has earned it global recognition. According to leading market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, inDrive was ranked as the second-most downloaded ride-hailing app worldwide for the third consecutive year and secured the fifth spot in the global travel app category. In December 2024 alone, the app was downloaded over 6.1 million times globally, reflecting its growing appeal across diverse markets. 'inDrive is built on fairness, creating an ecosystem where both passengers and drivers thrive. They decide the price and choose their ride themselves. This is why our users – both passengers and drivers – love us. Every ride with inDrive is a happy ride,' he added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
