My Experience Working as an InDrive Rider and What I Earned
Key Takeaways
- Earned over NPR 3,300 in two days, net NPR 2,500 after expenses and service fees
- Facilitated eight to thirteen rides per day with mostly cash payments and few tips
- Faced physical strain, lack of insurance, occasional triple-loading, and offline ride requests
Last year, with Dashain holidays cancelled due to flooding and landslides, I decided to turn to InDrive ride-hailing to earn some extra cash. Signing up as an InDrive MOTOR-BIKE Hero is straightforward: simply toggle into Driver Mode within the single app used for both passengers and drivers, submit required documentation, and await WhatsApp verification. I uploaded the front of my payment slip as proof of driving eligibility.
I enrolled before Dashain but only started riding during the festival. On the first day, working from 2 PM to 6 PM, I completed eight rides and made over NPR 800 before commissions. The next day, starting earlier and covering more ground, I finished thirteen rides and earned over NPR 2,000. Altogether, I made NPR 3,300 before InDrive's service charge of just over NPR 300, and burned roughly a full tank of petrol (about five litres) on my Yamaha RayZR scooter, which averages 45 km per litre. Even with fuel costs around NPR 700 for a full tank, I netted about NPR 2,500 in twelve hours of work.
The experience was generally positive for supplemental income, and after the first ride it felt natural to accept requests. Most passengers paid the exact fare in cash, though tipping was less common than when I am a rider. I managed without a phone mount, though taping the device to my dashboard proved unreliable.
However, there were downsides. The work was physically demanding; after two days my tailbone and left wrist ached, and Kathmandu's smoke and dust irritated my throat. More importantly, InDrive still lacks mandatory insurance despite earlier promises, and riders now pay a total of 10% per ride (8.84% service charge plus 13% VAT). During Dashain I also encountered three triple-loading situations—one passenger plus a child—without extra pay. Occasionally passengers cancelled after boarding or requested off-book drops, leaving me with no choice. Other issues included incorrect pickup locations, passengers blaming me for timing problems, expired ride requests, fierce competition among riders, and extremely low-paying InDrive courier jobs.
Overall, InDrive provides a viable way to earn extra money, especially when done part-time. Even a single day's work can cover vehicle expenses, but riders should be prepared for the physical toll and operational hurdles.
