E-hailing platform inDrive has launched inCode 2023, the company’s inaugural annual global hackathon.

The competition will award €16,000 to the top ideas that demonstrate the most potential to create positive impact.

The hackathon challenges participants to improve safety by discovering ways to make ‘ride-hailing safer and more secure for all, so both riders and drivers have complete peace of mind’.

Another objective of the hackathon is to create solutions to advance accessibility and make e-hailing a more inclusive option for people with disabilities. The company says a lack of viable and comfortable transportation options currently hinders many from participating fully in their communities and lives.

The third objective of the hackathon is for developers to determine which factors or features are currently missing from inner and inter-city trips and the delivery of goods and determine ways to use technology to improve these services and solutions.

inCode is hosted on the HackerEarth platform, with a community of 7.6 million developers, globally. To date, more than 500 companies have conducted online hackathons with HackerEarth.

Alexander Lobashev, senior VP of engineering, inDrive, says: “Ride-hailing platforms owe their very existence to the creativity and technical expertise of software developers and coders’ ability to dream up, design, and build global products, reliable algorithms, and user-friendly interfaces.

“InCode is a way for inDrive to recognise the tech innovators who invest their time and talent to make ride-hailing safer, more inclusive, and better to use.”

The hackathon consists of two phases. The first, running from 20 April to 4 June, requires participants to submit ideas and general concepts in the format of PowerPoint/ keynote presentations. The second phase begins on 19 June and ends 9 July with participants delivering their prototypes.