inDrive launches AV initiative with "Affordable Autonomous Mobility for the Next Billion" manifesto

In June 2026, inDrive published its AV Manifesto, Affordable Autonomous Mobility for the Next Billion Users , setting out the ride-hailing platform's strategy for autonomous vehicles in emerging markets. Founder and CEO Arsen TomskyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → framed the initiative around a single question: what happens to millions of ride-hailing drivers when cars no longer need them.

The manifesto challenges two assumptions it sees dominating the AV industry: that robotaxis will remain confined for years to wealthy cities with strong infrastructure, and that scaling autonomy will displace tens of millions of drivers. inDrive argues instead that autonomous mobility can become affordable and commercially viable in high-growth markets sooner than expected, and that drivers should participate in the transition as owners and operators of autonomous fleets rather than be excluded from it.

inDrive positions its competitive edge as structural: proprietary operational data on routes, driving patterns and road conditions across the developing world; established regulatory presence in many jurisdictions; and a lean, resource-constrained execution model. The company reports multi-million monthly active users across 1,100+ cities in 48 countries, holding leading positions in several large markets. Rather than competing with AV incumbents in San Francisco, Phoenix or Dubai, it aims to serve cities such as Quito, Lagos, Lahore, Manila and Lima.

The plan is partnership-led and capital-efficient by design. inDrive says it wants to build an open ecosystem bringing together AV companies, OEMs, hardware suppliers, AI developers, universities, regulators and research centres — contributing anonymised road and traffic datasets, regulatory sandboxes, open standards, pilot infrastructure and local market expertise rather than large-scale capital deployment into manufacturing or fleet ownership.

Read more: inDrive AV Manifesto · Arsen Tomsky on LinkedIn