To help people get through the 15-day trial of the odd-even vehicle scheme in the city, a host of carpool mobile apps are expected to come to their rescue as Delhiites by necessity have to open their
To help people get through the 15-day trial of the odd-even vehicle scheme in the city, a host of carpool mobile apps are expected to come to their rescue as Delhiites by necessity have to open their cars for other passengers using same route as them.
A host of mobile applications, such as Orahi, Ibibo Ryde and BlaBlaCar, allow people to sign up and start offering or availing rides for commuters going in the same direction. “The odd-even scheme will surely bring the concept of carpooling into public consciousness which despite its obvious benefits of reduced fuel costs and ability to reduce congestion, has never really taken off in the city,” said Bineet Chatterjee, who carpooled from Noida to Gurgaon on the first day of the scheme.
“It is difficult to travel in overcrowded Metro and buses once we are used to comfort of private cars, but then the traffic congestion and pollution are harmful byproducts of that comfort, so carpooling is the middle way out,” he added.
Sapna Shukla, a teacher in Ghaziabad, said, “The introduction of odd-even formula and availability of technology-based carpool options have brought the concept of carpooling to the mainstream for the first time. Even the government has proposed it as one of the viable options, not only for the odd-even experiment but also in general.”
Both informal and organised carpooling can be a viable option for those who don’t want to get off their cars and get into a public transport bus or Metro.
Taxi apps like Uber and Ola have also entered the rideshare segment and are offering shared taxi rides within cities as pocket-friendly and easy options to commuters.
Shuttl, a bus aggregating platform offering shuttle bus service that launched this year, is also adding more buses to its existing fleet for commuters. While carpooling is being seen as a good option, there are concerns from women about how efficient the real-time service would be for regular commuters who prefer pre-planned trips.
