‘Mobility is about fairness’, says inDrive CEO Arsen Tomsky

KARACHI: In Pakistan, where every commute is a negotiation between time, money, traffic and trust, one ride-hailing company has quietly rewritten the rules. inDrive, led by founder and CEO Arsen Tomsky, has become the country’s most popular mobility app, capturing the largest market share by offering people something algorithms never could: the freedom to choose their own fare.

During his recent visit to Pakistan, Tomsky described the country as one of the company’s most promising markets in South Asia. “Flexible pricing, strong safety mechanisms and transparency are essential to building trust. Our customers here are young, urban and highly tech-savvy. Over the past five years, motorbike rides have become the most affordable and fastest-growing option, smartphone penetration has soared, and women’s growing participation in the workforce is creating new demand for safe, reliable transport.”

“We started as a grassroots movement,” Tomsky recalled. “People were frustrated with unfair pricing, much like Pakistan once was before digital ride-hailing platforms arrived. We wanted to change that by letting passengers and drivers agree directly on fares. That spirit of fairness still drives us today.”

From those beginnings, inDrive has grown into a global mobility platform headquartered in California, now operating in 982 cities across 48 countries with more than 360 million app downloads. Its focus remains on emerging markets where access to fair economic opportunity is limited.

“Our growth has come from putting people before algorithms,” Tomsky explained. “Low commissions and transparent systems empower individuals rather than control them.”In Pakistan, where drivers often face high commissions and limited control on conventional platforms, inDrive’s model offers something different. Instead of an algorithm setting fares automatically, passengers propose a price for their trip, and nearby drivers can bid, counter, or accept based on distance, route and rating.

Drivers see full trip details before accepting, and passengers can choose the best offer, whether based on price, proximity or vehicle type. With the lowest commissions in the market, the model has become especially popular among drivers, who enjoy higher autonomy and better earnings.

Despite challenges such as inflation, fuel volatility, and evolving regulations, inDrive continues to expand its footprint. “Our flexible approach keeps rides affordable while ensuring sustainable incomes for drivers. That balance has helped us grow even as others scaled back,” said Tomsky.

He added that the element of “choice” within inDrive’s model remains the key factor behind its growing popularity. While competitors attract customers with subsidies, only to inevitably raise prices, inDrive’s bargaining model allows it to maintain fairness for both passengers and drivers.

inDrive now operates in over 20 cities. Courier services are up 57 per cent, and the app consistently ranks as Pakistan’s most-downloaded ride-hailing service on Google Play.Tomsky welcomed Punjab’s recent move to regulate ride-hailing services, calling it a “positive step towards transparent industry standards”.

“The new law formalises practices that responsible companies like inDrive already follow: from driver verification and passenger insurance to data privacy,” he said.He also proposed a broader, collaborative framework to strengthen passenger safety.

“The industry needs a centralised monitoring system, much like how banks track fraud in real time. If a fraudulent driver or user is flagged on one platform, their CNIC should be reviewed before they register elsewhere. That kind of cross-platform coordination would raise the bar for safety and accountability across the sector.”

For Tomsky, inDrive’s purpose extends far beyond connecting passengers and drivers. He sees the company as part of a broader movement to challenge injustice and build fairer systems wherever it operates. “Our mission has always been to challenge injustice,” he said. “Business, in my view, must serve people.”

That philosophy is finding deep roots in Pakistan, where inDrive is investing in projects that combine economic empowerment with social responsibility. The company has partnered with the orphanage, Pakistan Sweet Home, to support orphaned children through its loyalty programme. It also partnered with Lums to enable women to earn livelihoods through rickshaw ownership, and have pledged funds to the International Medical Corps to assist flood-affected families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

inDrive’s ‘Ride to Donate’ campaign helps fund playgrounds in underserved schools for children, while the ‘Aurora Tech Award’ mentors women business owners through training and grants.

The company provides health-care discounts and free digital-skills courses. Plans are underway to introduce microloans under inDrive Money to enhance drivers’ financial inclusion. During Karachi’s recent floods, the company reduced commissions to zero to help drivers retain their full earnings.

“Drivers are at the heart of everything we do,” Tomsky said. “When they thrive, the whole ecosystem benefits.”

As Pakistan’s mobility landscape continues to evolve, inDrive’s experience shows that technology can succeed when it reflects local realities and human needs.“For us fairness is a system that gives people the freedom to choose. When people are trusted to choose, everyone moves forward together,” said Tomsky.