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Dimitri Okhlopkov is a seasoned operations leader at inDrive, where he heads Driver Operations for South Asia. With a background in driver retention, activation, and acquisition, he has held key roles across Russia, Kazakhstan, and South Asia. Prior to inDrive, Okhlopkov worked in public service and social welfare, bringing a unique blend of strategic, analytical, and people-focused skills to every role. Excerpts from the interview: Can you give us an overview of inDrive’s current driver community in Nepal? How has it grown over the past year? We launched inDrive in 2021, during the post-covid period, after conducting research to understand the evolving needs of the market. The response was overwhelmingly positive—from drivers, passengers, and support teams alike. Since then, we’ve continued to grow steadily, offering valuable benefits to both drivers and passengers. One of the key advantages of our platform is the fair and flexible pricing system. Unlike many competitors, we allow a transparent fare negotiation model where both drivers and passengers have a say. Drivers can choose rides based on distance, time, and their preferences, and they are also free to skip any requests that don’t suit them. This system empowers drivers, giving them more control and a stronger voice in how they work. As a result, many drivers have chosen to partner with us, and our community continues to grow every day—with more passengers joining and enjoying the flexibility and fairness we offer. What are the main challenges that drivers face while using inDrive’s platform, and how is your team addressing these concerns? We understand that many drivers have specific needs and face ongoing challenges. As a company, we are actively working to support them and continually improve the services we offer on our platform. For instance, we recently introduced an insurance system that ensures all riders are covered. This initiative has significantly enhanced their safety and well-being. We’re also constantly developing and rolling out new features to make their experience even better. To provide more hands-on support, we’ve established local offices where drivers can freely share their concerns, ask questions, and receive assistance. This open communication has been beneficial for both the drivers and our team. In addition, we’ve partnered with various companies to offer drivers bonuses, discounts, and essential items like car lubricants—resources they can easily access and use. How does inDrive ensure fair pricing and income sustainability for drivers, especially in price-sensitive markets like Nepal? Pricing is always a sensitive issue. To address this, we are developing a bidding system that allows drivers to set their own prices. Riders can choose to accept or skip the ride if the fare doesn’t suit them. A ride only happens when both the driver and rider agree—it’s entirely based on mutual consent. While our platform has a large number of passenger users, the number of active drivers is still relatively low. This imbalance becomes especially noticeable during peak times—for example, during bad weather or when it rains. At such times, demand surges as more people prefer using the app, and many are willing to pay higher fares just to reach their destination quickly. As a result, prices naturally increase in those situations. Despite many drivers working tirelessly, even around the clock, there are still not enough of them to meet the growing demand. Part of the challenge lies in limitations related to driver availability and capacity. What safety measures does inDrive have in place to protect drivers during rides? We’ve built important safety features into our application, including an emergency call function that allows users to quickly contact help if they ever feel unsafe during a ride. In addition, we offer fast support for such situations to ensure immediate assistance when needed. We’ve also implemented an insurance system designed to cover incidents, which provides an added layer of protection—especially for drivers. These features are part of our ongoing commitment to safety for everyone using our platform. Is inDrive offering any kind of skill development, digital literacy, or professional training to help drivers grow beyond the platform? We have established offices where we provide regular training sessions for drivers. These sessions cover a range of important topics, including financial education and safety practices. Additionally, we invite professionals—such as traffic officers—to conduct safety workshops and share valuable insights directly with our drivers. This hands-on approach helps ensure they are well-prepared, informed, and confident in handling real-world situations.