Bengaluru citizens question 'ban' on carpool services: 'This will worsen traffic jam'

Amid initial reports of the Karnataka government banning carpools in Bengaluru on Saturday, citizens have been voicing their opinions against the move, pointing out that carpooling prevents plying of extra vehicles on the road and restricting carpool apps from functioning will only add to the city's traffic woes.

The transport department of Karnataka called the use of whiteboard vehicles for commercial commute purposes "illegal" and stated that fines from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 can be levied if anyone is found operating the carpooling services. Currently, apps such as BlaBla Car, Quickride, Rideshare, Commute Easy, and Carpool Adda have been running carpool services for commuters who are willing to share a ride for a fraction of the money that they would have paid if they had booked an entire cab for themselves.

Although Transport Minister Ramlinga Reddy on Monday clarified that there is no ban on carpooling but insisted that the apps obtain necessary permissions to operate legally, as per a Times Now report, the development has not gone down well with the citizens with many taking to social media to take a stand against it, especially after the mega traffic snarl on Outer Ring Road on September 27.

The Karnataka government's decision came amid the demands made by the cabs and auto associations to halt the operations of carpooling apps, which they claim are running illegally. The associations claimed that the carpooling services are affecting their daily earnings and submitted a demand to the government to take action against them. They even conducted a Bengaluru bandh and submitted their demands to the transport minister.

Read more: 5 reasons why Bengaluru's ORR faced unusual traffic congestion on September 27