In the busy, bustling cities of India, it’s hard to find a good deal on a cab. Overcharged fares can drain your wallet, and cabs are often uncomfortable and dirty. Congestion and smog from fuel emissions fill the air as cars crowd the roadways, causing traffic jams and delays. What if there was a solution to this problem that saved you money and reduced your environmental impact? Fortunately, there is. The best way to go is with an app that lets you carpool to reduce fares and have a more enjoyable cab experience. We’ve compiled a list of the top five best carpooling apps in India.
1. BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar was founded in 2013 after creator Frédéric Mazzella discovered an effective and more economic way of getting home for Christmas. With trains already packed full and no car to get home, Mazzella developed a carpooling service in order to share petrol costs with other aspiring travelers. This economically and ecologically friendly app makes it easy to find a ride with an experienced, trusted driver using the BlaBlaCar rating system. Members of the site are allowed to use Facebook Connect to link their social media profile with their BlaBlaCar profile. Passengers are also allowed to anonymously rate their experience with the driver with a special focus on driving skill and safety. Payments for your ride are made in cash only, and you must have exact change with you in case the driver doesn’t have any. The app, which is available for both Android and iOS, offers over a hundred routes in India alone, including major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai.
2. SRide
SRide is a carpooling app with a special focus on safety for its riders. Each driver is carefully screened to make sure you get the best one possible, and driver ratings are closely tracked. Every rider must submit a review of their driver to create a conversation in the SRide community in order to provide feedback for others. Founded by Lakshna Jha in October of 2014, SRide aims to provide commuters with an alternative, cost-saving means of getting to their destination while reducing the environmental impact of carbon emissions. SRide’s website notes that over 11 billion gallons of fuel could be saved per year if everyone carried an additional passenger. The SRide app is available for both Android and iOS and features online payment options through PayTM, India’s largest automated payment system. This updated feature is a less stressful alternative to the credit system SRide previously used; users can now pay their driver directly through an online transfer, effectively eliminating the hassle of calculating separate payments between passengers.
3. Meru Carpool
Meru Cabs is a cab service app that also offers ride sharing options with its Carpool feature. Meru started in the city of Mumbai in 2007, with the Carpool feature being more recent. Available in over 23 major cities, and with the goal of expanding Carpool to the top 20, Meru Cab gives 20,000 rides to customers daily and has partnered with India’s most popular airports. The service has won several awards, including the coveted Trip Advisor Traveller’s Choice Award in 2013. Meru Cab’s strict verification policy makes sure that both drivers and passengers remain safe and are trustworthy. Meru Cab makes paying incredibly easy with a one-swipe payment option using PayTM and an e-wallet feature. What makes Meru Cab truly unique is the fact that drivers can set their own rates. These rates are visible to riders before booking, and it encourages competitive rates that help riders to get the lowest fare possible. The app is available for iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry.
4. Orahi
Orahi’s carpooling app is perhaps the most friendly and conversational of the bunch. Not only does it offer all the great features a carpooling app should, including extended preferences and online payment options, but it also lets you chat with other friends who are using the service. You get the choose who you ride with, making your trip more enjoyable by pairing up with trusted friends. Orahi also has a “Panic Mode” button on its app; when pressed, this button alerts three other contacts to your location if you feel unsafe. Female-only rides can be set up by selecting preferences for these groups on the user’s profile. Orahi also offers first time users a free ride to try out their services. Payments are made using an exchange of “green tokens” that users purchase online. If a customer wishes to make a withdrawal from their balance, each token will be refunded for the full purchase price, and there’s no minimum amount that must be accrued before withdrawal. Orahi is available on both iOS and Android.
5. Tripda
Founded by Rocket Internet, Tripda is an Indian carpooling app that’s completely free for the user. Rather than paying a fee, riders simply share the cost of the ride without any surcharges. Tripda was founded by four key members: Adi Vaxman, Pedro Meduna, Joe McFarlane and Eduardo Prota. These four founders are passionate about developing a “sharing economy” in order to reduce consumption of fossil fuels that cause pollution and harm the environment. By using car services only when needed, carpooling benefits both people and the earth. This app, which is available for both iOS and Android, also offers Ladies Only rides with all-female driver and passenger groups paired together to increase safety. Passengers and drivers can rate each other, giving a broader and more accurate review of services. Tripda’s extra security features also allow the user to decide what personal information they share with others. Information such as name and phone number are only necessary for user verification, and Tripda’s direct messaging feature keeps these details private so that users can set up a ride without giving this information out. Tripda operates primarily in Delhi, Mumbai/Pune and Bangalore, though anyone outside those cities can use the app as well.
6) OlaShare
Ola Share allows you to book a cab ride, or share the same with fellow commuters you trust. Connect with other travellers on the go- without the need to plan, de-tour or wait for other passengers to join. You share your ride with the people you choose.You can join a group based on one or more common aspects- your location, your workplace, your gender, etc. OlaShare is now available in major cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune etc.
7) uberPOOL
After a successful launch in Delhi and Bangalore, uberPOOL has now come to Hyderabad too. uberPOOL allows you to share your ride with passengers with similar pickup and destination points. Choose “Share your Car” on the Uber app and see the fixed rate you will pay for your ride. You might get matched with other passengers heading in the same direction. Even if no other passengers take the ride, this will be your cost.
All of these carpooling apps have their own benefits and unique features, so give each one a try to find out which is right for you.