MANILA, Philippines — Ride-hailing app inDrive is bringing in another income source for its drivers where they can earn as much as P18,000 a month by collecting data for a mapping company.
inDrive said it is tying up with cryptocurrency exchange Coins.ph and mapping network Hivemapper to offer an income opportunity for drivers in the Philippines.
Under this, Hivemapper will sell a dashcam-like device to inDrive drivers that they can turn on to collect mapping data during their trips.
Data gathered from the device will be used in building an open, real-time map of the world, and drivers will be rewarded with digital assets in the form of Honey tokens.
These tokens will be transferred to the Coins.ph app, where they can be exchanged for cash.
inDrive business development head Sofia Guinto said drivers could earn up to P18,000 a month if they participate in the mapping effort.
She underscored that this potential earning is on top of the regular income they would get from completing bookings.
However, Guinto said Hivemapper would reward Honey tokens based on the quality of mapping obtained, with preference for areas that are yet to be covered by the platform.
Guinto also clarified that inDrive still uses a separate navigator from Hivemapper, but the app is open to partnering in the future to integrate their mapping.
Coins.ph country manager Jen Bilango said the partnership marks Hivemapper’s entry into the Philippines.
Bilango said drivers could grab this opportunity to contribute to its mapping.
As of 2024, inDrive manages a fleet of 13,000 drivers in the Philippines, as it continues to attract Filipinos to shift to the app. inDrive is operating in seven areas: Metro Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Iloilo.
inDrive is becoming a popular platform among drivers, as it charges zero commission right now, allowing them to take home entirely whatever they earn. Soon, inDrive plans to take a 10 percent commission from their drivers, still cheaper against its rivals.
Hivemapper, for its part, is backed by the Cayman Foundation in its pursuit of creating an open, real-time map of the world using open mapping.
Coins.ph, registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, is an app where Filipinos can buy and sell cryptocurrencies and access a range of financial services.