Ola to allow private car pooling on its app as Delhi's odd-even formula nears

Online taxi hailing service Ola launched CarPool, which will allow Delhi-NCR residents to pool rides in their private cars through Ola's app for which they will not be charged, on Monday. CarPool will help citizens comply with the state's first-of-its-kind experiment to implement the odd-even formula for private cars starting January 1, 2016, Ola said in a statement.

The move by the Arvind Kejriwal government is aimed at bringing down pollution in the Capital, which has reached alarming proportions. Delhi residents will be able to take advantage of Ola's route matching algorithms to pool rides in their car with fellow passengers looking to travel on the same route.

The 'Friend List' feature on Ola app allows users to create a custom list by adding friends with their mobile phone numbers, Ola said. Hosts can also choose to share their ride with anyone outside of their friends. All of Ola's safety features, including Track your Ride, Share Ride Details, 24X7 customer care support, SOS, Emergency Contacts and Intrip feedback, are available on CarPool as well, Ola said.

Ola's arch-rival Uber recently launched a similar service where private car owners can offer rides to others using its platform. "CarPool will bring economy, convenience and the comfort of travelling with friends even to those who drive their own vehicles," Ola category head (shared mobility) Ishan Gupta said.

Most private vehicles due to lack of better options see only 25-per cent utilisation of capacities. First-time hosts can register by feeding their vehicle details on the Ola app and make themselves available by clicking on 'I am driving' and entering their destination. Users who want a ride can click on 'I need a ride' mentioning their drop location.