The
idea of carpooling is pretty simple – to reduce the horrendous traffic
especially in metropolitans like Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. A lot has
already been written and said about carpool apps in India in the past 2-3
years. With the ever increasing traffic, cab service companies like Uber and Carmi
in US came up with this idea of carpooling as a super accessible and economical
venture. This peer-to-peer business model has already become a huge hit in the
western countries. While the same initiative was taken in India as well, there
is still a long way to go for carpooling app development in India to become as
popular as in US.
Carpool
Apps in India Expectation
When
carpooling option was introduced in Indian cities, it was expected many
commuters would register for carpool apps that help connect car drivers with
those looking for rides. And when in Delhi the odd and even scheme was run, the
carpooling seemed to be a viable option. Successful tie ups would not only help
lessen the traffic, but it’s also a great way of saving fuel. With growing
awareness campaigns about the need to reduce traffic and pollution on the
whole, the popularity of the apps was expected to rise steadily.
Well
Uber and Ola are not the only who are offering carpooling services. ‘SRide’,
one of the carpool apps in India was developed in 2014 by a team of software
professionals based in Pune, Delhi and California in the US. This app is
currently available on Android and iOS and any working professional can
register with it by furnishing name, address, personal and official email
address. The app team verifies the member credentials through his/her employer
records. Once successfully registered, the user can look up other registered
members traveling on his/her route and time and connect with them to avail or
offer a ride. On completion of the journey, the rider needs to pay the car
owner at the rate of Rs 3/km. The app, has more than 5,000 members and receives
more than 300 posts every day.
Carpool
Apps in India Quick ride
We
encourage members to travel only with verified members. The payment aspect is a
one-to-one deal between the driver and the person availing of the ride.
However, at Rs 3/km, it is as cheap as using a public transport, yet offering
the convenience of a car. Our app is already integrated with Google Maps, and
we are now trying to connect it with Paytm to offer convenience of payments
too.
Similar
other app which was developed in 2014 by a team of city-based IT professionals
and is currently accessed by around 2,500 people, enabling users to exchange
kilometers for rides. Someone offering carpool service earns in kms and the one
availing of the ride spends them. Siddhartha Jagtiani, founder and chief
technical officer of the app had this to say,
If
you accumulate enough kms by driving more often, you earn enough for fuel and
maintenance. If you spend in kms, you spend only what you normally would spend
if you drive an economy car. It’s a simple system which requires no login and
elaborate registration process. I, as a commuter, have faced the traffic
problem and felt the drain on my energy and time, and thus thought of
developing this app.
Carpool
Apps in India Choice Is Yours
For
all those companies who are offering carpool apps in India, they see congestion
as a problem waiting for a solution. They then try building up a platform which
users can access and avail carpooling services. Many young companies have built
carpooling apps and services, which help you hook you up with fellow commuters
who are traveling the same route.
There
was a bunch of enthusiastic people who swore by carpool apps in India. There
were radio jockeys who would explain us the benefits of carpooling but
considering the Indian mindset, the interest has already started fading. It
seems carpool apps in India will never go mainstream. You can build the best
technological solutions but the concept will still not work. The reason being
the Indian laid back attitude and consumer behavior.
Carpool
Apps in India Not Mainstream
Now
with several such top carpool apps in India, most of the commuters are not
aware and those aware are skeptical about availing this service, especially the
female commuters. Earlier, carpooling means your dad used to share a ride with
his colleague. Now let’s be honest, we hardly even know our neighbors and
traveling with a stranger is still a social stigma. It’s worse when it comes to
strangers. Carpooling app development firms may have done all the background
verification about people I need to pick up along the way, but all I need is
one bad experience to put me off.
