Another company that is focusing on intra-city commutes is Mumbai-based SmartMumbaikar. It began as a carpool app for Facebook in 2012. But in 2013, it started providing travel details to registered users on the basis of a simple missed call. Within two weeks, says Raxit Seth, CEO of the start-up, there was an increase of 50,000 users on their website.
The registration process for SmartMu-mbaikar is simple. Users have to sign up on the company’s website and opt for a membership plan for Rs 400 per month. Then, all they need to do is give a missed call to the service number, from which they receive an SMS showing the available commutes, which could be a bus, auto-rickshaw, car or even a motorcycle. According to Seth, users can save up to Rs 35,000 a year by using the service. The company requires users to provide their official e-mail address instead of a Face-book, Google mail or any other account for registration to prevent fake users from using the app and to ensure safe travel. The app also allows users to choose the gender of the person they want to travel with. He says that due to its unique safety measures, 60 per cent of SmartMumbaikar users are women.
Safety strategies
Safety is a key issue with such initiatives. Most of these new ventures claim their checking procedures for users are robust. The BlaBlaCar app, for instance, has a feature that allows users to evaluate each other. “If a user is not well-behaved, he/she gets voted down in the app, in which case fewer people opt for rides with the person,” says Gupta. BlaBlaCar also has a helpline to assist users in case of a car breakdown. Many of these start-ups offer insurance cover. For instance, US-based carpool app, RelayRides offers a $1 million insurance policy on cars.
However, there is always a danger of companies and individuals earning unaccounted money. On being asked if BlaBlaCar generates a receipt for users who pay for a ride, Gupta said that the company has not yet thought about such a feature. Anticipating such problems, Ramanujam has had discussions with the transport departments in Delhi and Bengaluru to put regulations in place. He cites the example of Singapore where the government has enacted a law to allow drivers to get paid for offering rides on carpooling apps.
India just right for carpooling
The concept of carpooling took shape in the US in the 1970s, during an oil crisis. By the 1990s, as oil became cheaper, carpooling dropped from 42 per cent in 1970 to 19.7 per cent, say Nelson D Chan and Susan A Shaheen of Transportation Sustainability Research Center of the University of Berkeley, USA. Nicholas Brusson, chief operating office of BlaBlaCar, says driving in the US is just too cheap. With gas and other expenses costing half of what they are in Europe, “the pure incentive on the driver’s side (to pick up carpoolers) is not as strong”, he says. On the other hand, countries like India,with their high fuel costs, are just right for carpooling, says Ramanaujam.
The Indian Journal of Transport Management estimates that by 2020, 17.8 per cent of the country will use cars. Average traffic speed in cities has been calculated at 15-20 km/h in 2009, as compared to 30-35 km/h in the 1970s. Start-ups with a mission to decongest roads might just be what people need. Not to forget the environmental benefits of such services. Estimates by BlaBlaCar show that in the past six months emission of 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a gas causing global warming, was prevented as people switched to carpools. Gupta says that about 100,000 trees are needed to absorb this amount of the gas. With growing middle class and rising pollution, the idea of carpooling appears just right for India.
