inDrive has launched two new features, Panorama View and Recommended Pickup Points, in Johannesburg and Cape Town. South Africa is the first market where the global mobility platform has rolled out the features.
The features are aimed at the pickup stage of a ride, where passengers and drivers often struggle to locate each other due to unclear map pins, similar-looking entrances or unfamiliar landmarks.
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How the features work
Panorama View adds a street-level image of the selected pickup point to the booking process. Passengers can tap their pickup location to view a 360-degree panoramic image of the meeting point, such as a building entrance, landmark or street corner. If street-level imagery isn’t available for a location, the panorama icon doesn’t appear and passengers see the standard pickup map instead.
Recommended Pickup Points works before a driver is assigned, directing drivers toward locations where passengers are easier to find. In-app chat remains available for passengers and drivers to clarify pickup details further.
Ashif Black, inDrive’s South Africa country representative, said the features address a common source of delay at the start of a ride. “The beginning of a ride sets the tone for the entire journey together, and being able to find one another efficiently without delay ensures the driver isn’t wasting time and, by extension, earning capability, and that passengers aren’t late getting where they need to be or stuck waiting longer than necessary in potentially unsafe locations,” Black said.
A familiar problem
South African passengers often describe pickup locations using nearby landmarks, petrol stations or business names rather than exact addresses. This approach can be unclear to drivers unfamiliar with the area, contributing to delays and missed pickups.
inDrive says the two features are intended to reduce passenger waiting time, cut down on back-and-forth messaging between drivers and passengers, and reduce the time drivers spend circling blocks or navigating complex access points such as shopping centres, office parks and transport hubs with multiple entrances.
“In major cities where people are often meeting at shopping centres, office parks, apartment complexes and busy transport hubs with several entrances or pickup points within a very small area, these features help make the pickup process that much quicker and smoother,” Black said.
Where rides are concentrated
In Johannesburg, Eastgate Shopping Centre records the highest ride volume, followed by central Johannesburg, Jabulani Mall and Braamfontein. Mall of Africa and Sandton City also rank among the top pickup points in the city.
In Cape Town, Liberty Promenade records the highest ride volume, followed by central Cape Town, Zevenwacht Mall and Canal Walk Shopping Centre.
Panorama View and Recommended Pickup Points are available now to inDrive users in Johannesburg and Cape Town. inDrive says availability will expand to additional areas as street-level imagery coverage increases.
