Rideshare, but you decide the price: inDrive says 'hola, Miami!'

By Riley Kaminer

In the world of ride-sharing, Eddy Velázquez has been around the block. Over the last two decades, he has worked at the intersection of tech and mobility. As the Operations Manager for Lyft in Florida, Eddy made sure that the wheels kept rolling across all of Florida – from Miami to Tampa, Orlando to Jacksonville. He also was managed traffic flows for the Super Bowl in 2020, helping to ensure that rideshare users safely and securely got where they needed to go.

Now Velázquez is buckling up for his next challenge: launching rideshare giant inDrive’s Miami market, its first in the United States.

Eddy Velázquez is inDrive’s operations manager in Miami.

Already, Silicon Valley-based inDrive operates in 655 cities across 48 countries. The company’s app has been downloaded over 175 million times, making it the second-most downloaded mobility app globally – and #1 in 11 countries including six in Latin America.

Velázquez, a Miami native, said that this popularity abroad will help fuel inDrive’s expansion stateside. “Our roots in Latin America was one of the key reasons why we decided on Miami as our first market in the US,” he told Refresh Miami.

“If you know South Florida and Miami, you know we have some transportation needs down here,” Velázquez continued. “Our transportation continues to grow and get a little bit better. But we have so many opportunities, so bringing our pricing model to South Florida made so much sense.”

This pricing model is inDrive’s key differentiator. Through the app, users are able to offer whatever price they would like on a given ride. Drivers in the area can then accept this price or propose a different price. If multiple drivers make offers, then the user can see all the options and choose the driver they prefer.

Additionally, inDrive does not take any commission for the first six months a driver is on its platform. After that, they charge and average of 10-20% in commissions – substantially less than alternative platforms, which can charge over 50%.

“Not only does it empower our drivers, but it empowers passengers too,” said Velázquez. “We give the freedom of choice and tons of transparency.” He explained that these savings really add up on longer drives, like trips to the airport. This also protects passengers from much-dreaded surge pricing. Of course, this is all while still prioritizing the safety and security of drivers and riders.

According to Velázquez, there is already significant interest for inDrive on the driver side. Now the company, which has a five-person team working on its US expansion efforts, is working on articulating their value to South Florida customers.

Noting that the market size for ride sharing in South Florida is very large, Velázquez pointed out that even capturing a small amount of it will make this new initiative a success.

The platform officially launched this week and is available all the way from Key Largo to the Palm Beaches.

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Riley Kaminer

I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.