Why Indians Hate Carpooling

Dear Reader,

Arif, a 39-year-old video producer, told me about an uncomfortable experience he had while using BlaBlaCar, a French intercity ride-sharing platform. 

He had booked a ride from a small town in Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. 

When the car arrived though, things didn't match up. The driver wasn't the same person listed on the app. The car was overcrowded. He was even asked to pay extra. And when he tried to complain, he struggled to get a response from the company. 

Most of Arif's other experiences on the platform have been alright. Still, he says he doesn’t recommend the service.

"I'd only recommend it to a young man travelling alone. For women and other travellers, I'd hesitate," he told me.

I haven't used BlaBlaCar. 

Even taking an Uber alone late at night can feel unsettling. With Blablacar, you're sharing a tight space with the same strangers, for hours. A quick search online throws up enough horror stories to make anyone think twice.

And yet, BlaBlaCar is growing in India. Moreover, carpooling itself is back in conversation, as it often happens whenever fuel prices rise or pollution reaches alarming levels. 

On paper, it seems obvious.

But despite repeated pushes, carpooling hasn’t become mainstream in India.

Safety is one reason. Convenience is another.

Take Raja Chatterjee, a Mumbai-based media professional. He carpooled for years through WhatsApp groups and says it helped him save money. What’s more, he even made friends through it.

But soon, he switched carpooling for Cityflo buses–a service he uses to date. 

Cityflo is more expensive, but he chose it over carpooling because it’s much more convenient. No more hunting for rides. No uncertainty about whether someone on his route would be travelling that day.

That gets to the heart of the issue. 

Carpooling offers benefits to society: less congestion, lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption. But for individuals, the calculation can look vastly different.

This week on The Signal Brief, I tried to answer a simple question: If carpooling makes so much sense, why don't more Indians do it? Tune in to the episode to hear from consumers, industry people and experts. 

You can find The Signal Brief on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Thank you once again for listening and supporting us. We’d love to hear from you; write to us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or X at @thesignaldotco.

Best,
Kudrat
on behalf of The Core

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