The way people experience advertising is changing.
Instead of reaching consumers only when they are actively searching, scrolling or watching, brands are increasingly looking for moments that are already part of everyday life.
For inDrive, one of those moments happens during a journey.
One year after its pilot launch, inDrive.Ads has surpassed two billion impressions globally, with the advertising platform now operating across 25 countries in Latin America, EMEA and APAC.
The milestone also includes South Africa, where inDrive.Ads launched in February 2026.
Turning Everyday Journeys Into Media Moments
inDrive.Ads brings advertising into the inDrive app, giving brands opportunities to reach consumers at different points during their ride journey.
The company describes this environment as “Ride Media.”
The concept focuses on moments that are already happening.
A rider might be waiting for a driver to arrive. A driver might be waiting for the next passenger.
In these moments, inDrive says advertisements are simply present within the experience rather than requiring users to skip past them.
The company compares the concept to a billboard on a street: it is part of the environment rather than an interruption to something else.
South Africa’s Digital Advertising Market
The expansion comes as South African advertisers continue to increase their investment in digital channels.
According to the IAB South Africa and PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report referenced in the announcement, local online advertising revenue increased by 21.5% year on year to R17.7 billion in 2023.
The country’s wider advertising market also spans a broad range of sectors.
Banking brands, including Standard Bank, FNB and Capitec, compete for consumer attention alongside major retailers and a growing base of local small businesses.
That diverse market is reflected in inDrive.Ads’ South African performance.
According to inDrive’s January to August 2026 data from Google Ad Manager, the number of active monthly advertisers more than doubled during the period, increasing 2.2 times.
At the same time, eCPM increased nearly fourfold.
Together, these figures point to increased advertiser activity and greater value being placed on South African digital advertising inventory, according to inDrive.
A Different Advertising Environment
Ashif Black, Country Representative for inDrive South Africa, says mobile usage is an important part of the local advertising landscape.
“South African consumers spend a significant part of their daily lives on their mobile phones, which means brands are continually looking at how and where they can reach them meaningfully.”
For inDrive, Ride Media provides another potential point of connection.
The advertising experience sits within the journey itself, whether that means the rider is waiting for a trip or a driver is waiting for the next passenger.
There is no separate piece of content that needs to be interrupted.
Instead, the advertisement occupies a moment that is already part of the user’s journey.
Global Growth Reaches 25 Markets
The South African expansion forms part of a much larger global rollout.
During its first year, inDrive.Ads grew to more than 2,000 active advertisers each month.
The platform now operates across 25 markets spanning Latin America, EMEA and APAC.
The two-billion-impression milestone therefore represents the scale the advertising business has reached during its first year following its pilot launch.
For inDrive, advertising is also positioned as more than a standalone business opportunity.
It is being developed as an additional source of revenue beyond ride commissions.
Privacy and Consent
As the platform expands, inDrive.Ads has also introduced an integrated consent management system.
The system gives users greater control over their data and privacy choices.
This has particular relevance in South Africa, where the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) sets obligations for organisations regarding the lawful and responsible processing of personal information.
The move places consent and user choice alongside the platform’s broader advertising expansion.
Building Towards Retail Media
According to Max Silin, Director of inDrive.Ads, the platform’s first year focused on establishing its advertising monetisation foundation.
The next stage is broader.
Silin says inDrive is moving towards a retail media ecosystem, with the aim of creating advertising experiences that form part of wider user journeys.
“Next, as inDrive evolves into a retail media ecosystem, we are moving towards a model where ads support holistic, value-driven, user-centric journeys, making every touchpoint an organic part of the experience.”
The company says this development is intended to make advertising part of the wider experience rather than treating it as something separate from it.
Advertising and the Wider Mobility Model
inDrive.Ads also has a direct connection to the company’s broader mobility model.
The platform connects brands with inDrive’s user base while creating an additional revenue stream beyond ride commissions.
According to the announcement, this helps support the company’s ability to keep driver commissions and rider fares among the lowest in the industry.
The issue is particularly relevant in South Africa, where transport affordability remains an important consideration for both passengers and drivers.
For inDrive, growing advertising revenue therefore forms part of a wider approach to the economics of its mobility platform.
Advertising With a Social Impact Component
Some of inDrive’s global advertising inventory is also allocated to social impact programmes.
During the first half of 2026, this provided more than 1.7 million impressions supporting initiatives including Juntas Llegamos in Mexico, Colombia and Peru, inVision University in Kazakhstan and the Alternativa Film Festival in Colombia.
The allocation adds another dimension to how the company says its advertising inventory can be used beyond commercial campaigns.
South Africa’s Next Chapter
For South Africa, the opportunity now sits at the intersection of digital advertising, everyday mobility and affordability.
Black says the local market requires careful consideration of both riders and drivers, particularly as cost pressures continue to affect transport users.
“As inDrive.Ads develops locally, we can give South African brands a new way to reach consumers during everyday journeys.”
The company says its local focus will be on growing the advertising business while continuing to protect the affordability and low commissions that are important to its users.
From a February 2026 South African launch to a global milestone of more than two billion impressions, inDrive.Ads has moved rapidly during its first year.
Now, with more than 2,000 active monthly advertisers and a presence across 25 markets, the platform is looking towards its next phase.
The journey, quite literally, is becoming part of the medium.
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