inDrive.Ads expands to 25 countries with 2bn impressions

inDrive's in-app advertising business, inDrive.Ads, has expanded to 25 countries and delivered more than 2 billion impressions since its pilot launch.

The figures mark the first full year of activity for the advertising arm within the ride-hailing and delivery group. It now works with more than 2,000 active advertisers each month across markets in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

The update offers a clearer picture of how inDrive is building a second revenue stream beyond transport and delivery services. Advertising income is intended to support lower fares for riders and lower commissions for drivers, while also contributing inventory to the group's social impact programmes.

Its impact initiatives received more than 1.7 million impressions in the first half of the year, including support for Juntas Llegamos in Mexico, Colombia and Peru, inVision University in Kazakhstan, and the Alternativa Film Festival in Colombia.

Ad push

The advertising unit has added direct managed partnerships with all five of the largest agency holding groups alongside programmatic demand. It has also run dozens of campaigns with more than 30 brands across eight countries in EMEA, APAC and LATAM.

Early advertisers included quick-service restaurants, consumer goods, footwear and apparel, consumer electronics, telecommunications, automotive and financial services. inDrive pointed to regional campaigns involving restaurant and banking brands in North Africa and Central Asia.

During its first year, the advertising team introduced more than 10 product updates. These included new ad formats, changes to mediation tools intended to improve fill rates across markets, faster-loading placements, and an integrated consent management platform designed to give users more direct control over data choices.

For inDrive, the advertising unit sits within its broader app ecosystem, which spans ride-hailing, intercity transport, delivery and financial services. The company said its app has been downloaded more than 400 million times and that it operates in more than 1,200 cities across 48 countries.

Audience model

The format is described as advertising shown during waiting periods in the rider or driver journey, such as when a passenger is waiting for a car to arrive or when a driver is between trips. inDrive argues that these moments offer advertisers a less crowded environment than some other digital channels.

That pitch is built on the scale of the platform's transport activity. The company said its footprint has now reached more than 8 billion rides, giving advertisers access to a large in-app user base.

The move reflects a wider trend among consumer platforms seeking to monetise attention through retail media and app-based advertising. For transport operators, advertising can provide an additional income source at a time when fare levels, driver earnings and commission structures remain sensitive issues in many markets.

inDrive has built its brand partly around a pricing model that it says offers fairer terms to users and drivers. Its latest comments suggest it sees advertising as a way to reinforce that position rather than rely solely on transaction income.

Max Silin, Director of inDrive.Ads, outlined the next phase for the business.

"The first year was about building a strong advertising monetization foundation to sustain our future growth," said Max Silin, Director of inDrive.Ads.

"Next, as inDrive evolves into a retail media ecosystem, we are moving towards a model where ads support holistic, value-driven, user-centric journeys, making every touchpoint an organic part of the experience. Today, we are focused on deepening relationships with global brands and agencies, as well as local market champions who trust us to deliver against their marketing objectives, as we continue building an advertising platform that serves as a natural extension of inDrive values and helps fuel our mission," said Silin.