By Journal Online

Copyright journal

Manila, Philippines – Fresh from being recognized with the Philippines Technology Excellence Award for AI – Transportation at the Asian Technology Excellence Awards 2025, inDrive is doubling down on its mission to prove that artificial intelligence can be harnessed to empower people, not replace them. The award is a direct testament to inDrive’s commitment in actively reshaping Filipinos’ experience with urban mobility, thanks to their innovations anchored on fairness, transparency, and inclusivity.

inDrive demonstrated how its human-centric AI strategy is creating more equitable transport solutions in fast-growing markets like the Philippines, where millions rely daily on affordable and reliable rides.

“We are deeply honored to receive the Technology Excellence Award for AI – Transportation,” said Mark Tolley, APAC Director, inDrive. “This recognition is not just about inDrive’s technology, it’s about the people behind every innovation and to whom it was made for. This inspires us to improve our services and to use AI to amplify user autonomy, ensure fairness, and create safer, more transparent experiences for both our passengers and partner drivers.”

Human-centered AI for a fair and efficient mobility solution

In the Philippines where commuters are highly sensitive to fare cost and transparency, inDrive’s human-centric AI model is especially powerful. Instead of setting rigid prices, it provides better order matching, fair regulations in consideration of the government mandated matrix, and route optimizations, all while leaving the final decision in the users’ hands.

inDrive also utilizes AI to power the other features on the app that directly improve everyday use, such as:

Photo-control systems using machine vision to verify vehicle safety and condition.AI-assisted routing of support queries, helping passengers and drivers resolve issues faster.Predictive demand algorithms to ensure drivers are in the right place at the right time.More accurate ETAs and traffic-sensitive route predictions in congested cities like Metro Manila and Cebu.

Breaking language barriers and reinforcing safety through AI

With so many languages and dialects spoken across the Philippines, miscommunication is commonplace between passengers and inDrive’s partner drivers. With inDrive’s integration of Gemini AI in the app, instant context-aware translations in chats are enabled. The modern LLM-powered auto translation system handles typos, slang, and informal phrasing in English, Tagalog, Cebuano, and other dialects. Since its rollout, Filipino passengers and partner drivers have reported better booking rates and fewer miscommunications on ride details.

“To many, AI is a strong tool to improve efficiency. At inDrive Philippines, we see it as a driver of fairness and opportunity. This recognition underscores our commitment to making transportation and mobility more accessible and fair to all.” shares Sofia Guinto, Business Development Head at inDrive Philippines. “As inDrive continues to grow in the country, trust that we will create better solutions that will make mobility more reliable, inclusive and smarter for Filipinos.” she added.

AI moderation systems are also used to scan booking notes, ride messages, and shared media for inappropriate behavior. In the Philippines, this system has singlehandedly reduced misuse of ride instructions by over threefold within three months, creating a safer digital space for commuters and drivers alike.

These demonstrate that profit need not come at the expense of fairness; instead, AI can serve as an equalizer by expanding access, empowering drivers, and protecting passengers.

Collaboration and growth

The demand for better and more reliable mobility solutions in the Philippines continues to grow and integrating new technologies such as AI is essential to achieve success. However, service is more than automation but enabling Filipinos with the freedom to choose, ensuring safety and building trust through time.

“Technology is often seen as cold and impersonal,” Tolley emphasized. “But at inDrive, we see AI as a tool to restore trust, strengthen communities, and make everyday journeys more humane. The Philippines is proof that technology, when guided by fairness, can transform mobility for millions.”

Recently, inDrive was also acknowledged as the Preferred Ride-Hailing Partner of Echelon Philippines 2025, signalling inDrive’s intent to build stronger ties with fintech players, mobility tech innovators, and policymakers.

Currently, inDrive offers its ride-hailing services in the Philippines. The company is looking at bringing its Superapp services to the country including its courier services and online groceries.

inDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform. The inDrive app has been downloaded over 280 million times, and has been declared the second most downloaded mobility app for the third consecutive year. In addition to ride-hailing, inDrive provides an expanding list of services, including intercity transportation, delivery, and financial services. In 2023, inDrive launched New Ventures, a venture and M&A arm.

inDrive operates in 888 cities in 48 countries. Driven by its mission of challenging injustice, the company is committed to having a positive impact on the lives of one billion people by 2030. It pursues this goal both through its core business, which supports local communities via a fair pricing model; and through the work of its impact arm. inDrive’s community empowerment programs help to advance education, sports, arts and sciences, gender equality and other vital developments.

For more information visit www.inDrive.com.