[contact.nitin7]

This seems like a great experience. I am hoping to be a part of your trip soon.

I am commuting daily from Indirapuram TO Noida Sector 127.

However I had a simple question, since I am working and not driving the entire day, how does this allow me the flexibility to drive during the time I want to.

[Jeevith]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

I just got my account activated today and am excited to ferry people around anywhere they want to go (as long as its in Noida) because I have sometime on my hands. Hopefully it should be a fun experience and I don't encounter anyone nasty as I don't want to get her dirty.

Hi quickdraw.

Congrats to both you and Uber on this awesome initiative. Can't wait for this to come to Bangalore (Hopefully it gets here before the pollution levels reach that of Delhi).

Just curious, do you also get to see the drop location before accepting the ride? I understand that the regular Uber drivers don't.

How do you manage to get rides only within in Noida?

[Bh.P]

I hope this idea picks up. If more people adopt this (both as drivers and riders), the number of cars with a single occupant would come down drastically.
The safety aspect may still deter people though.

[quickdraw]

Ok a whole bunch of people have asked similar questions, so thought will combine the answers here.

Is this legal?

Honestly, I'm not too sure about it. I was made to sign 3 separate contracts, I'm quite sure UBER Legal has covered things quite well, I did skim through them. You can see these contracts once your documents have been accepted and you need to agree to them before your profile gets activated. I remember when Delhi police had started using the UBER App and impounding drivers who came to the pickup point, UBER helped them out and got the cars freed, paid the fines etc. I doubt they would let their customers get into trouble because it will be a big blow to their brand image which was tarnished not so long ago, and they are just getting back on their feet. You need to remember although they have been valued over $40 bn they are still a startup and evolving everyday.

All other questions regarding how the routes are matched, how to control when you drive etc.

Watch the video I've posted earlier, it explains how the app works in detail.

Originally Posted by Mortis

While this is an interesting situation, you have unfortunately highlighted the biggest problem faced by commuters.

Well, I will only travel in the direction my home is in. People are free to choose a regular Uber Cab if there is nobody headed in their direction. Pool is 1/3 the cost of a Uber Go which is already quite cheap. Most people that I've dropped were surprised they got a BMW in Uber Go.

Originally Posted by anubshar

very nice initiative. If this idea takes off then pollution levels can surely drop.The pic you posted in your earlier post, is BIC F1 circuit visible in the background?

Great eye! We are lucky to have great roads and access to this amazing racetrack. Its an amazing if you have a performance car or bike that you can just drive it to the racetrack and experience the amazing engineering and enjoy the driving dynamics on offer. My Triumph thread should have a bunch of pictures of the bike on the racetrack and bonus picture of the F30 below charging towards T5.

Originally Posted by contact.nitin7

I am hoping to be a part of your trip soon.
how does this allow me the flexibility to o la drive during the time I want too.

Looking forward to it! And check the video!

Originally Posted by Jeevith

Just curious, do you also get to see the drop location before accepting the ride? I understand that the regular Uber drivers don't.

How do you manage to get rides only within in Noida?

If they have entered their destination you get to see it, you are free to not accept the request. Alternatively you can choose your destination so will only be shown requests which are near your endpoint. Check the video I posted earlier.

Originally Posted by tazmaan

Congratulations and kudos for doing what your heart says and not what people think you should do!

This reminds me of my 1 year plus stint as a Taxi driver in Melbourne while studying to pay off my tuition and other needs! I could have done other jobs but driving is a passion and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Psst, don't tell anyone. But I always secretly wanted to be a TAXI driver in New York ever since I saw Robert Di Niro in TAXI Driver, I guess I'll have to do with this and be content.

Too cool for school.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Still a little confused on the legality. As per rules,if I am not wrong, private cars cannot act as a taxi. At the same time car pooling is encouraged and sharing costs is perfectly natural.

Originally Posted by starter

Would the RTO oppose this?
Should you not have a yellow board?

Answered in my post.

Sorry for the double post, I was typing an edit and then got busy with some work and the 30min limit expired.

I got a rider yesterday who was less than 100mts from my office and about a KM away from my house. Super convenient. And she was quite surprised about the whole deal as-well. As more and more people get on the platform I see this has the possibility of really taking off.

The convenience of the APP is great, because today I'll be traveling to Defence Colony from Noida so ill choose the destination in the app around the time I am going to leave from work and lets hope I get matched with another STAR WARS fan today, got a special surprise for him/her. Will update later!

[Mohan Mathew A]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Thanks for the detailed update. Was planning to ask you how it went after seeing your posts in the Uber thread on your plans.

Still a little confused on the legality. As per rules,if I am not wrong, private cars cannot act as a taxi. At the same time car pooling is encouraged and sharing costs is perfectly natural.

Uber seems to be exploiting a grey area between the two. Technically it is pooling and Uber is compensating the cost. But at the same time, the driver makes a profit also.

My rudimentary understanding is that while sharing cost is ok you are not supposed to earn a profit. It is very hazy and determining one from the other is not easy.

[normally_crazy]

What about Lifto? Anyone tried that?

Also you can use uber to ferry people only when you travel to work and back? Or you have to work for a particular number of hours ?

[Mohan Mathew A]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

What about Lifto? Anyone tried that?

Also you can use uber to ferry people only when you travel to work and back? Or you have to work for a particular number of hours ?

I have. it works well and the experience has been very good. also since the payment happens to/from Paytm account, it is seamless. The app is pretty nice and interface is very good. Coverage is limited to Powai, Mulund and seepz but has been now extended to Thane too. I suppose pretty soon it will be available all over Mumbai

[chaudh2s]

Ideally i would never want any stranger to sit inside my car. My car is my family for me and ferrying people in it is an absolute no no.

[yogeshnagpal]

Fantastic experience there Manav.

I hope Uber Pool starts in Mumbai too.


Gautam - LiftO, I had tried in the initial days, but didn't get any response - So un-installed the app. I think I'll re-try the app now.

Anyway, if Uber starts this service in Mumbai, it'll not be too long before LiftO gets killed.


Cheers,
Yogesh.

[luvDriving]

I think this is a great initiative and thank you for keeping us updated !

As far as the legal aspect is concerned I really do not have any idea but then there is no way to differentiate a normal car from a uber pool car, is there ? It is just as if someone is picking/dropping off a friend or an acquaintance.

As far as private cars should not be driven for profit, I ask why not ? Of course I do not mean drive it like a taxi. The benefits, in addition to saving the environment could be :

1. Unlike a regular taxi driver who is under pressure to drop the current fare and pickup the next one, car pool driver is much more relaxed.
2. More trustworthy than a regular taxi (I hope I am not proven wrong some months down the line)
3. People end up making new friends increasing their social circle.
4. Since the car is anyway not being driven for profit so that translates into no cheating / ripoffs / arguments etc.
5. This will be most useful for those travelling at odd hours wherein some company will make the drive safer and merrier.

[Dieselritzer]

HI, just a quick question on the payment part, if people pay you via paytm app, can you transfer that money in your regular bank account? Sorry i dont have much clue about this so my question might sound stupid.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A

My rudimentary understanding is that while sharing cost is ok you are not supposed to earn a profit. It is very hazy and determining one from the other is not easy.

Originally Posted by luvDriving

As far as private cars should not be driven for profit, I ask why not ? Of course I do not mean drive it like a taxi. The benefits, in addition to saving the environment could be :

I think I need to remind everyone that you're only allowed to make 2 trips per day. And with the payouts which we can expect (as per data shared earlier will be negligible even in a case of an economical diesel car, I doubt it will turn out into a profit. Maximum it can be is an offset of fuel cost.

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

HI, just a quick question on the payment part, if people pay you via paytm app, can you transfer that money in your regular bank account? Sorry i dont have much clue about this so my question might sound stupid.

Lot of people have asked this actually, payouts are automatically to your bank account via NEFT. They happen once a week I think.

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

Ideally i would never want any stranger to sit inside my car. My car is my family for me and ferrying people in it is an absolute no no.

Well one of the things I was trying to promote is the taboo about this, I love my car as much as any other petrol head here on TBhp and since I'm blessed with a beige interior its just so much harder for me to keep it clean. Hoping to lead by example. The pollution problem is not just mine to bear.

[luvDriving]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

I think I need to remind everyone that you're only allowed to make 2 trips per day.

Thanks for the information !

What I meant was that if I am getting paid (however little it may be) for picking or dropping off someone on my route, then it is a welcome bonus. I did not mean that Uber car pool should be looked upon as a means of earning some extra dough by the side

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

A little background .... it is only available in New Delhi and NCR***

Hey Quick Draw,

Great thread. I too had downloaded the Uber Partners app, but then got lazy when it came to the registration. I think I'll probably register over the weekend and give this a shot, I do travel from GK2 to Noida every day, so I'm sure it could be an interesting experiment.

Do you have to be travelling on a fixed route every day or can it be 2 trips a day from and to anywhere?

[sukhoi30]

I really want to do this. Every morning and evening, I drive solo which I feel a big waste of fuel and space. I would love to give lift to "genuine" people but in Mumbai there is no good app server which does this. It will be great if UBER extends this service to Mumbai and other cities.
This could genuinely solve transport problems and also reduce traffic and pollution.
Govt should support this wholeheartedly and should not put in any legal impediments. Especially under the guise of protecting the rights of the many rickshaws and taxis.

How does this work if I have to take multiple customers? How is the amount shared then? Is that taken care by the UBER App?