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-   -   Bengaluru Carpooling Ban | Hefty fine of Rs 10,000 for violators (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/271301-bengaluru-carpooling-ban-hefty-fine-rs-10-000-violators-3.html)

Is this bizarre logic unique to this govt? NO. Most of the state govt schemes & policies compete for being more hare-brained than the other.

Goa is a case study in itself. The goons (going by the name of All Goa Cab Association) forced Ola to shut shop so that they could continue fleecing tourists. The cost of taxis in Goa is worth a King's ransom & the hapless tourists have no option but to pay up.

Ditto for Ladakh where an 'outside' cab isn't allowed beyond a point, even if it has a valid AIP.

State Govt policies are basically 'hafta vasooli' through legal means.
The judiciary doesn't seem to be watching since it's the middle class who's affected. Meanwhile traffic woes keep piling up & our taxes keep getting spent for mending Nine Stitches!

I really don't see any solution coming up in the next million years or so..

Utilizing carpooling applications like Bla Bla Car has significantly simplified and enhanced our lives. I frequently traverse the Kolhapur-Pune-Mumbai corridor, occasionally offering rides and consequently, forging connections with numerous remarkable individuals. This networking has also facilitated my establishment of valuable business contacts. Furthermore, I had the privilege of meeting an NSG Commando stationed in Siachen, who was embarking on a professional journey aimed at becoming personal security personnel directly for the Ambani Family's residence.

Notably, carpooling has led to a notable reduction in our carbon footprint, ensuring that we reach our destinations punctually, especially in comparison to older and poorly-maintained cab services. Additionally, it offers a considerably more cost-effective alternative for commuters.

There is a concern of safety and security but if there are some serious security checks and verifications, this can solve the issue.

Carpooling without commercial gains for privately registered cars is and has always been OK. But to derive commercial gains through carpooling, one will have to register his car as a transport vehicle with the yellow and black alphanumericals, number plates.

Hence, whether its App based or not, the authorities are bound to fine and take punitive action on violators.

Reading the news one can see that Government has banned apps which commercialise car pooling. The title of this thread is misleading.
@Mods : Title of the thread should be updated to reflect exact news.

On the topic itself- I agree with this ban, one can always use personal groups via apps like Whatsapp etc for car pooling rather than using commercial apps. If the intention is saving environment and not earning money then it can be achieved by socialising in personal capacity within society, company etc.

I think you are being prejudiced. This government came just now. We shouldn't get political here. Shouldn't carpooling be illegal if the taxis
are paying hefty amounts to keep commercial licenses? If you are earning money through carpooling, you should be paying for commercial licenses.

Quick ride has put some pointers on Twitter.





I definitely agree that carpooling and taxi services are not same and should not be treated as such. Carpooling is a lifesaver for so many people (specifically female colleague who don't know to drive) that I know.

The only historical parallel to Bangalore's infrastructure and transportation management is rule of Feroz Shah Tughlaq. Every other day, they come up such Tuglaqi farmaans where every new order is even crazier than the last one.

For ex, the administration has concluded that 27th Sep jam was one-off due to cars parked on the roadsides.

Now, I don't know whether to cry out of pain or laugh our of irony.

That exemption order seemed interesting and I was looking up for an actual full copy only to find that it is of Singapore. :unhappy

https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/RTA1961-S8...20for%20reward.

There was a clamp down on Blah Blah cars which was inter city ride app some years ago. They posed as customer, booked ride and caught after boarding. I remember Blah Blah allowed to sign up with non company email address. This led to huge drop in usage. Probably they will do. I guess many apps now need only verified corporate email to use. In that case, expect the 'friendly' IT admin team suggesting not to use office Email for personal purposes.

While transport department is well within it's right to enforce the current law, key questions to be asked is -

1. How is Omni bus running hoodwinking the system posing as tour operator for contract carriage? Even then, they cannot have stops within city but they are doing it. We all know the answer. Probably, they will allow if apps provide the same moolah to the babus and netas.

2. If current law is not serving the purpose, why they cannot change the law allowing car pool through ride handling app. Wait, it is vote bank politics, so will never happen. This is the same government (irrespective of political party) which reduced 11 months period for outstation vehicles to 3 months to collect LTT and still argues private employees are not eligible for BH Registration.

Car pooling crack down, proposed congestion charge all point to increase the revenue collection for the government to fund the freebies as well ready for upcoming elections pandering the vote bank.

Despite all of this traffic and these type governance issues, Bangalore continues to attract people and will do in near future due to the opportunities it presents. Most will consider this as yet another unjustified tax but pay up unwillingly.

This is exactly my point. Whether insurance or crime, the apps will happily shift the responsibility to the car owner and get away by saying we are aggregators or as many are saying today, marketplace. We just connect drivers and passengers. Ola/Uber and the likes are supposed to verify the drivers, as flat owners you are verifying tenants, but for carpooling who is verifying the driver/owner? Everybody is not getting a known carpool from office while using the app. For everything there has to be a process. The question is whether such a process will come, or will it just stop with the ban?

If financial consideration for sharing a vehicle to go from point A to B is what is considered as illegal, does that make a road trip with a group of friends illegal if they share the cost of fuel and toll with the owner of the vehicle?

The concept of carpooling is to leverage the existing empty seats in cars to be used, so as to reduce the burden on traffic. Stricter control of max number of journeys, verified sign ups and other measures to prevent misuse of white board vehicles for commercial use is key.
Cost of fuel and general wear and tear is what is to be borne by a passenger, I presume. If this is controlled in app, I don’t see how it makes it any profitable for the owner of the car. Carpooling is definitely a positive step to reducing congestion and hopefully supporting the environment.

Similar order was issued by RTO Kashmir in March this year.

Do Not Hire Private Vehicles As Taxi: RTO Kashmir

Fantastic and hard hitting post - the entirety of it. Kudos! Take a well deserved bow, my friend!

I believe individual freedoms are to be interpreted in context, and not in absolute. But we in India have taken "freedom" to an unacceptable level in every aspect. The way people have been observed wildly driving their SUV's in Pangong Tso, without any care for their environment, I think almost justifies a restriction on movement of private vehicles in certain areas of the country. I think some of the hill stations are in an urgent need to implement a similar restriction.

Thanks for the remarks.

I was basically referring to the fact that AIP taxis with a non JK number are not allowed to ply, which is a direct impingement to their right to earn. Secondly, you must visit Leh to witness the reckless driving by the local cabs themselves.

Having said that, I totally accept that we Indians have to learn self-discipline.
Your point regarding hill stations is bang-on since most of the hill stations have transformed into 'hell' stations.

My personal take is that explore options near your place which are within driving TOT! More peace of mind, more relaxed driving & less stress on the pocket.

The RTO and traffic police would login to the app and request a ride. If you turn up as the driver, your car will be impounded. But they cannot do anything about friends car pooling using messaging apps.

I have never used Quickride either as a driver or rider. But I do see value in these apps, especially in Bangalore. This is NOT a hair brained idea from the authorities. They are taking care of their share holders the right way.

In lay man's terms BBMP, BTP, State assembly are all a huge corporate setup. The autowallahs and cab wallahs, etc are the share holders. You and I are a nobody.