Kamal Ghorui
Carpooling makes a lot of sense – it’s cheaper, greener, and you get the comfort of a car ride without buying one. Yet, it’s simply not taken off in our metros. Yes, intercity ride-sharing is picking up, but too slowly, given the pace required, both for environment, and to do our bit to tide over this edition of West Asia’s conflict. After PM’s nudge encouraging carpooling, it’s as good a time as any to push for ride-sharing. There are two aspects. While carpooling typically means colleagues or peers sharing a car, ride-shares extend to sharing cab services. Till the pandemic, in several developed countries, ride-sharing was common for young adults – inclined to be more conscious about emissions, environment, and spending. France is Europe’s car pooling leader. Popular in Spain, the young are all for carpooling, for all commutes. Ditto for Germany and Netherlands. Traffic congestion in Brussels pushed local govt to organise carpool lanes and ride-sharing programmes.
It’s been about five years since Centre issued guidelines for ride-pooling aggregators. But across states, barring Maharashtra, ride-sharing remains a gray area. Govts, especially in a city-state like Delhi, must follow through to ensure PM’s message is scaffolded by a rules-based framework. That apart, a shift in commuter attitudes is essential.
Across our metros, private cars are typically used to drive to work, average occupancy is 1.5 people – grossly inefficient. There are several ‘very desi’ hangups that have contributed to either carpooling, or ride-sharing, not taking off. First off, car ownership is a status symbol. Second, many have reservations about the ‘class profile’ of fellow travellers. Third, punctuality is not a value, so people fret that latecomers and inflexibility of routes can disrupt timelines. But, primarily, and first and foremost, what’s required is availability of reliable ride-shares that operate smoothly, safely and legally. It’s upon states to make this ride happen.
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