Ola set to open doors to pvt players for carpool service

BENGALURU: Taxi aggregator Ola said it will allow private car owners in Delhi to register on its online platform and offer rides to passengers in a bid to help citizens comply with the state's oddeven formula for private cars starting January 1.

“Carpool is a major innovation towards building sustainable mobility for our cities at scale,“ said Ishan Gupta, category head-shared mobility at Ola. The company's initiative will provide convenience to commuters and has the potential to unlock massive idle transportation inventory in Indian cities, he said.

The Bengaluru-based company is offering the service free of cost.

“The customer has the flexibility of asking fellow passengers for cash, but it is voluntarily,“ Anand Subramanian,Head of Corporate Communications at Ola clarified.“The app only helps in bringing people together.“ According to Ola, most private vehicles see only 25% utilisation due to lack of better options.

The government supports carpooling as a green alternative and has endorsed specific startup initiatives in this regard. According to experts, while government encourages carpooling, white plated vehicles cannot be used for commercial transactions. Rival Uber, too, is launching such a service on January 1, but it will charge 20% commission on its rides.