New service to let people travelling in same direction share their journey
Words by: FWD Media Photographs from: Uber
Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ridesharing company today, announced the launch of its innovative product uberPOOL in Kochi. With uberPOOL, people travelling in the same the same direction, at the same time to share their journey and this could mean less congestion over time and even more affordable rides. The seamless, reliable and convenient experience of ridesharing has accelerated the adoption of uberPOOL in eight cities across the country – Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and most recently in Guwahati.
Announcing the launch, Nitin Nair, General Manager, Uber India (Kochi) said, “Celebrating cities is at the core of what we do at Uber. We believe, effective use of public transportation and carpooling can help combat traffic congestion. With the launch of uberPOOL in Kochi, we aim to provide reliable first and last mile connectivity to public transit systems and get more people in fewer cars at the tap of a button.”
How to use uberPOOL:
- Enter your destination.
- Select the ‘uberPOOL’ option and tap ‘Request uberPOOL’.
- Confirm your pickup location.
- Choose how many seats you need. Tap ‘1’ if you’re riding solo, and ‘2’ if you need a seat for your friend!
- Confirm your seats and you’re ready to go!
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the average occupancy of a car is just 28%. Meaning, while a car can carry 4 people, it only carries 1.15 persons. With an aim to make every ride a shared one and increase the adoption of public transportation through first and last mile connectivity, Uber aims to significantly reduce carbon footprint in the country. In India, uberPOOL was first launched in Bangalore in September 2015. Today, over 25% of Uber trips in the city are on uberPOOL. As a result, this has helped save 21,851,000 kms travelled, 1,027,000 litres of fuel and curbing 2,419,000 kg of CO2 emissions.
Additional information:
- Like other Uber services, uberPOOL is available 24/7
- uberPOOL trips can be requested from Kalamassery to Maradu and Infopark to Thevara
- A rider can book a maximum of 2 seats per trip
- The upfront fare shown to the rider while requesting the ride is guaranteed whether or not the rider is matched during the trip.
Sample fares during commuting hours: