Why Is Carpooling Illegal In Bengaluru Despite Increasing Traffic Congestion & Pollution?

Carpooling can now attract a heavy fine in Bengaluru - penalty of ?5,000 to ?10,000 - as the Transport Department of Bengaluru has decided to take action against carpooling by using mobile application platforms like Quick Ride, BlaBlaCar etc.

This has been done because such apps are violating rules by aggregating private cars that cannot be used for commercial purposes.

What is carpooling?

Carpooling is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. Carpooling reduces each person's travel costs such as: fuel costs, tolls, and the stress of driving.

Representative image/ BCCL

It is also a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to travel as sharing journeys reduces air pollution, carbon emissions, traffic congestion on the roads, and the need for parking spaces.

Why has carpooling using private vehicle through apps been deemed illegal?

The decision to ban carpooling was taken as a result of local taxi drivers complaints regarding the use of private vehicle by commercial carpooling apps.

An official from Karnataka Rajya Chalakara Parishat argued that a taxi driver needs to register a taxi, obtain permits and pay taxes, whereas these 'carpool apps' are operating without any licenses, as TOI reported.

These applications are to be brought on a level playing field to that of taxi drivers who require commercial vehicle licenses and other permits.

Representative image/ BCCL

According to the Transport Department, private vehicles with a white registration plate for commercial purposes are illegal.

Apart from a penalty ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, those involved in carpooling using such apps may also have other repercussions that could include the suspension of the registration certificate (RC) of the vehicle for six months.

Where else have such policies been introduced?

In January 2023, the Maharashtra government arpooling and bike-sharing applications which use non-transport vehicles. The state had also suspended Rapido-a bike-taxi service for the same reason in January.

"These apps present various offers on rates and pricing which aren¡¯t approved by the government authorities. Moreover, there is no control or monitoring done on the app-based operator, the riders and users of these services who use non-transport vehicles for the same," an RTO officer told HT.

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