Odd-even woes: Carpool apps to be Delhiites' rescue mantra

Host of carpool mobile apps are offering shared taxi rides within cities

The rolling out of Delhi government's ambitious odd-even vehicle scheme might pose difficulties for commuters but a host of carpool mobile apps are expected to come to their rescue as Delhiites open up their car doors for other passengers on the same route.

Host of mobile applications such as Orahi, Ibibo Ryde, BlaBlaCar allow people to sign up and start offering or availing rides from a list of 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.

"It is difficult to travel in overcrowded metros 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 carpool is the middle way out," said Bineet Chatterjee, who carpooled to Noida on Friday from Gurgaon.

Sapna Shukla, a school 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 government has proposed it to be 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. They are offering shared taxi rides within cities.