Delhi Government's Talks With Ola, Uber Signal Comeback Of Carpooling

Delhi Govt Pushes Carpooling After Talks With Ola, Uber, Rapido

The government held talks with major cab and mobility aggregators, including Ola, Uber and Rapido, as part of its effort to ease traffic congestion and curb rising vehicular emissions, signalling a comeback of carpooling.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday, where the government asked aggregators to restart ride-sharing services at the earliest and begin work on a separate carpooling framework.

"The sooner we start large-scale ride sharing and carpooling, we will see fewer vehicles on our roads. I appeal to the people of Delhi to actively choose ride sharing and carpooling options so that together we can reduce pollution levels in the city," Sirsa said.

Officials said ride-sharing, which allows multiple passengers to book the same cab, is expected to resume soon. Aggregators told the government they need time to make technical and operational changes, following which they have been asked to fully roll out ride-sharing features within a month.

Carpooling, officials clarified, will be treated as a non-commercial shared mobility option. Aggregators have been directed to start developing in-app carpooling modules or independent platforms, while the Transport Department will examine the legal framework needed to enable and regulate carpooling in Delhi.

The meeting also focused on cutting down the number of private vehicles on the road. Aggregators were urged to expand bus and shuttle services, especially on office routes and high-demand corridors, to improve last-mile connectivity and reduce peak-hour pressure.

Electric mobility was prominent in the discussions. The government said privately registered electric vehicles could be allowed to operate under aggregator platforms without commercial permits or registration fees. The Transport Department has been asked to study the legal, regulatory and safety implications, including insurance and passenger safety norms.

Aggregators were also advised to promote green ride options and introduce in-app features that show users the emission savings from shared or electric rides. They were asked to share route-wise data to help the government identify congestion hotspots and plan targeted traffic interventions.

Reiterating the government's wider pollution control strategy, Sirsa said action is being taken on vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, dust and waste management alongside enforcement measures.