At a Glance
- inDrive is rolling out in-app advertising across its top 20 markets, including Mexico, Colombia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Morocco.
- The company is also expanding grocery delivery to Pakistan through a partnership with Krave Mart, starting in Karachi.
- Ride-hailing now accounts for 85% of revenue, down from 95% just a few years ago.
Why it matters: The moves mark inDrive’s shift from a ride-only platform to a “super app” aimed at boosting engagement and margins in price-sensitive markets.
inDrive is doubling down on advertising and grocery delivery as it races to evolve from a ride-hailing app into a full-blown “super app.” The Mountain View, California-based firm will place ads inside its app across 20 countries and bring 20- to 30-minute grocery drops to Pakistani cities, starting with Karachi.
Ads Where Riders Already Look
The advertising rollout follows mid-2025 tests that delivered “hundreds of millions of impressions” and attracted global consumer brands and banks, said Andries Smit, inDrive’s chief growth business officer, in an interview with News Of Philadelphia.
Early ad slots appear:
- While users wait for a booked ride
- During the trip itself
In-car and on-vehicle formats are on the longer-term roadmap, but in-app placements will take priority through 2026 because they yield stronger early returns and avoid the operational headaches of sticking ads on cars in emerging markets.
Pakistan Becomes Grocery Testing Ground
Pakistan is the second market-after Kazakhstan-to get inDrive’s grocery service. The company has partnered with Krave Mart, a local dark-store operator in which inDrive invested in December 2024.
Karachi users can now order from 7,500 products-fresh produce, meat, dairy, snacks, and household items-with free delivery on orders above PKR 499 (about $2) and no service fees. Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi will follow later this year.
Smit singled out Pakistan for three reasons:
- Quick-commerce demand is rising
- inDrive already ranks among the country’s leading mobility platforms
- Urban consumers want faster, app-based shopping
Since launching rides in 2021, inDrive has:
- Seen ride volumes climb 40% year-over-year in 2025
- Recorded 67% growth in courier deliveries in H1 2025
- Expanded to 20+ cities for ride-hailing and 200+ intercity routes
Biggest Share of $100M Goes to Pakistan
Late-2023 inDrive pledged $100 million for multi-year investments. Smit confirmed the largest slice has flowed into Pakistan, though he declined to share exact figures. At least half of the $100 million has already been deployed.
“We’re seeing incredible potential in Pakistan,” said Smit. “Ideally, we want to continue and double down on [investments] as we see performance.”
The commitment stands out amid broader investor caution. Pakistani startups raised only $36.6 million across 10 rounds in 2025, up 63% from the prior year but far below the $347 million and $331 million seen in 2021 and 2022, per Data Darbar.
Smit argued that inDrive’s experience in volatile emerging markets and its large local user base let it invest where others hesitate, while partners can scale without heavy customer-acquisition spending.
Global Footprint and Revenue Mix Shift
inDrive operates in 1,065 cities across 48 countries and has passed 360 million app downloads, making it the world’s second most-downloaded mobility app for the third straight year behind Uber, per company data.
As newer verticals scale, ride-hailing’s share of revenue has slipped from 95% a few years ago to about 85% today. Advertising, groceries, delivery, and-eventually-financial services are expected to claim a larger role over the next three to five years as inDrive selectively expands in priority markets.
