<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55068509.cms" /><br />
<br /> Ever wondered if putting your car out there for <keyword id="1272741" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="carpool">carpool</keyword> could save you money and time more than the usual taxi ride sharing?<br />
<br /> Notably, the Indian government has committed to reducing emission intensity by 30-35% by 2030, and if every individual who owns a car carpools during their daily <keyword id="6438468" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="commute">commute</keyword>, there will be a great impact to the environment.<br />
<br /> <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword>COMMUTE proves to be one such way we can be reducing our daily hassles as well as taking care of the environment. It is a carpooling service by Uber for non-professional drivers. It was launched in Delhi last year and later expanded to Bangalore in January this year.<br />
<br /> It provides an easy way to commute to and from work by sharing the journey with fellow-commuters headed in the same direction. Using <keyword id="3070444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="UberCommute">UberCOMMUTE</keyword>, Uber is aiming to cut down congestion by getting more people into fewer cars and increasing usage of existing cars. <br />
<br />
Here’s how it works:<br />
<br />
1)If you drive to and from work or make trips across town – and would like to share your commute – sign up with Uber. Then the profile will get verified by the company.<br />
<br />
2)On the days you’re driving, switch on the app anytime between 7AM and 9PM. You’ll be prompted to enter your destination and we’ll then pair you up with another rider heading the same way so you can share the journey and recoup your costs.<br />
<br />
3)You will see the amount you get for each trip in advance so there are no surprises. It is designed to help recoup the running cost of your car<br />
<br /> <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> got in touch with five UberCOMMUTE drivers who have decided to let people hop on their cars to understand what made them prefer carpooling over <keyword id="2603312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="rideshare">rideshare</keyword>. Here’s what they said:<br />


Here are
UberCommute drivers telling why they prefer carpooling over taxi ridesharing

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5877785fdd0895c0118b49df-2400" alt="Travis Kalanick" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui</span></p><p class="caption">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Uber is pitching for public subsidies to fill the gaps in the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword>'s public transport network.</p><p>The taxi app company believes car hire firms can reduce congestion and traffic emissions if given the chance to work directly with local authorities and complement local transport.</p><p>The details appear in a December submission to the UK government's Transport Committee, which is currently <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/transport-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/urban-congestion-16-17/" target="_blank">examining how to reduce urban congestion</a>.</p><p>One proposed initiative is subsidised fares for passengers travelling to and from their nearest station. The idea is to encourage suburban commuters to leave their cars at home, reducing congestion on the roads and at station car parks. </p><p>Similarly, it wants to roll out UberCommute in the UK, a car-pooling service which matches commuters with a private car owner going in the same direction. UberCommute first launched in Chengdu, China with the goal of reducing congestion.</p><p>Uber also wants "personalised budgets" for passengers with reduced mobility who need affordable door-to-door transport, and a pilot scheme targeted at older people.</p><p>The company claims all of this is possible only with deregulation, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/uber-taking-legal-action-against-transport-for-london-tough-new-laws-tfl-2016-8" target="_blank">a case it has made</a> many times before. </p><p>"Excessively onerous barriers to entry to driving on platforms such as Uber could limit the ability of policy makers to shift people away from private cars to a transport ecosystem that can help make the most of the public transport network and ease congestion," the company wrote.</p><p>Similar local transport initiatives have attracted criticism in the US, with <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/business/metropolis/2016/12/cities_are_cutting_transportation_service_because_they_think_uber_will_fill.html?utm_source=Triggermail&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Post%20Blast%20%28bii-e-commerce%29:%20Amazon%27s%20first%20drone%20delivery%20%E2%80%94%20Airbnb%27s%20struggles%20in%20France%20%E2%80%94%20Ride-hailing%20services%20fill%20in%20for%20public%20transportation&amp;utm_term=BII%20List%20E-Comm%20ALL">some cities considering transport service cuts</a> as a result of Uber and rival Lyft.</p><p>Uber is in the process of trying to overturn a UK employment tribunal ruling <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/british-uber-drivers-entitled-to-minimum-wage-holiday-pay-lodon-tribunal-rules-2016-10" target="_blank">that its drivers are classed as workers</a>, and thus entitled to sick pay, the minimum wage, and holiday. </p><p>The company is not currently in talks with UK local authorities on the proposals, a spokesman told Business Insider.</p><p>David Metz, honorary professor at UCL's Centre of Transport Studies and former chief scientist for the Department of Transport, told Business Insider that Uber deserved credit for its ideas.</p><p>He suggested that Uber's service to older or disabled people may be more effective than Dial-a-Ride, the door-to-door transport option offered by Transport for London.</p><p>But he added that Uber should not be permitted to become "a monopoly" or to "exploit" local authority funding. </p><p><strong>Here are Uber's proposals in full from its <a href="http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/transport-committee/urban-congestion/written/44138.pdf" target="_blank">submission to the Transport Committee</a>:</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Local authorities should therefore support the mass adoption of technology-powered car pooling services. As a starting point, we could explore piloting a scheme similar to California's POOLtrain on a major route outside of London that extends beyond the current uberPOOL boundary. Local authorities could also consider the use of new technology and services to:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Conduct a feasibility study into how local taxi and PHV use can complement public transport on a city's outskirts to decrease congestion in the centre.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Situate dedicated pick-up and drop-off points at cities' outlying stations to make 'first and last mile' connections easier and their availability more prominent.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Work with taxi and PHV operators in subsidising fares to and from stations in outlying areas, so encouraging train passengers to leave their cars at home when accessing their nearest station.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Offer personalised budgets for door-to-door transport, allowing people with disabilities or access needs to take advantage of innovative new services to travel easily and affordably around their city.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Establish a pilot scheme aimed at increasing access to community hubs for older people and those with limited mobility.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Pilot a service similar to uberCOMMUTE in Chicago, whereby we connect commuters on their daily drives with passengers heading the same way. Private car owners can select the pooling option on the Uber app and are paired with another passenger or fellow commuter who is travelling in a similar direction."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/middle-seats-airline-sliding-design-video-2016-12">Airplane designers have a brilliant idea for the middle seat</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NoeHRmNDE6N-cSWIqmFSRD9PkKQAaaV2" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NoeHRmNDE6N-cSWIqmFSRD9PkKQAaaV2',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Uber wants public subsidies to fill the gaps in the UK's transport network

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/55600985.cms" /> <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> India wants the government to allow the company to incentivise people when they use their cars on the cab aggregator's platform to share rides with others. This option is prohibited by the Motor Vehicles Act.<br />
<br />
Uber feels that this option will help reduce air pollution in New Delhi by cutting the number of duplicate journeys as the vehicle emissions produce 30% of the pollution in the capital, according to a report by the Observer Research Foundation.<br />
<br />
If private car owners are able to register with Uber as drivers, all they have to do is input the time of their travel and route so that people in the vicinity going in same direction can hitch a ride.<br />
<br />
"We would like to work with the government to make this a reality," Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Uber's India policy head, told ET.<br />
<br />
Ride-Sharing, however, is different from Uber's carpooling service, which involves drivers of vehicles with commercial licences.<br />
<br />
"Services like Uber can instantly match passengers headed in the same direction at the same time, thereby reducing the number of duplicate journeys," Kohli told ET.<br />
<br />
"We would therefore be keen to support the government in every way possible and help use carpooling and ride-sharing as solutions to address the rising pollution and congestion in the city," he added.<br />
<br /> Uber experimented with ride sharing in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> and in New Delhi in the first phase of the oddeven vehicle-plying rule last year, but the model known as UberCommute did not find many takers.The Motor Vehicles Act doesn't allow private vehicles to be used for hire or rewards.<br />
<br />
According to sources, initial conversations with the Delhi government on the issue have been positive.

Uber wants to take carpool on a different level, here’s how

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5602e47dbd86ef1d008bc69b-2504-1878/rtx1rl2a.jpg" alt="uber travis kalanick" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Stringer" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Stringer</span></p><p class="caption">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick</p></div><p></p></div></div>Last month, Uber announced it had closed a $1.2 billion funding round for its China branch. Now, the company is looking to expand that funding round to as much as $2.5 billion, <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9f037276-6203-11e5-a28b-50226830d644.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fcompanies_technology%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct#axzz3maDpoeeS">the Financial Times reports</a>.</p><p><span>To grow in China, the company formally launched a fundraising round on June 22. Four of Uber's 10 biggest cities are now in China, </span><span>according to an email sent by Uber CEO Travis Kalanick to investors and </span><a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/e533bb8a-1081-11e5-b4dc-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3cnKza7vy">obtained by the Financial Times</a><span> earlier this summer.</span></p><p><span><span>Uber </span></span>has been investing heavily in China, and the service is growing there like crazy.</p><p><span><span>Uber's service is taking off in China much faster than it did in the United States. Nine months after launching in Chengdu, Uber had </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-graph-shows-uber-meteoric-growth-china-investors-2015-6#ixzz3d8ZMOAyu">479 times</a><span> the trips it had in New York after the same amount of time.</span><span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span>And Uber <a href="http://newsroom.uber.com/2015/09/ubercommute/">just launched</a> a carpooling service called UberCommute, or "<span>People's Uber+"</span> in Chengdu, Uber's biggest city in the world. UberCommute matches up riders with drivers going to similar destinations. Lyft introduced a very similar service called <span>Driver Destination back in November.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span>Uber is putting a lot of money into its Chinese growth. Uber</span><span> previously raised more than </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-has-expanded-its-most-recent-round-of-funding-by-1-billion-2015-2">$5 billion in several funding rounds</a><span>, including a $600 million investment from Chinese search engine company Baidu.</span></span></p><p>Uber faces competition in China, though. </p><p>Last week, Didi Kuaidi - Uber's biggest competitor in China - and Lyft, Uber's biggest US rival, announced the two companies were teaming up to take on Uber.</p><p>The strategic partnership will let the companies share t<span>echnology, product development, and local resources, and when US users of Lyft go to China (or when Didi users come visit the US), they'll be able </span>to pay in their native currency on each app.</p><p>Now that Lyft has teamed up with Didi, the two companies seem better suited to take on Uber. Didi recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-china-rival-didi-kuaidi-raises-3-billion-2015-9">closed a $3 billion round of venture capital funding</a>, and it's valued at $15 billion, so it's well-equipped financially - in total, Didi Kuaidi has amassed a $4 billion war chest of venture capital funding. </p><p><span>Didi Kuaidi was created in February when competing apps Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache merged to cut the costs of competing with each other - and more importantly, with Uber. Didi's finances have also come into question. The company is losing buckets of money,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-main-competitor-in-china-is-losing-buckets-of-money-2015-9">according to leaked financial documents</a> surfaced by the Financial Times.</span></p><p><span>We have reached out to Uber for comment and will update this post when we hear back.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-made-billions-2015-7">The insanely successful life of Uber billionaire Travis Kalanick</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xwY2lmdjrD0sKNXKjphpxxEqtRvRDYXG" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'xwY2lmdjrD0sKNXKjphpxxEqtRvRDYXG',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Uber is looking to raise as much as $1.3 billion more for its China branch

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55ee802edd0895c6628b45fd-713-535/california-ruling-seen-unlikely-to-dent-value-of-uber-other-start-ups-2015-6.jpg" alt="Uber CEO Travis Kalanick  gestures as he delivers an address to employees and drivers marking the company's five year anniversary in San Francisco, California June 3, 2015.  REUTERS/Robert Galbraith  " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Uber CEO Travis Kalanick  gestures as he delivers an address to employees and drivers marking the company's five year anniversary in San Francisco" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know to start your week.</p><p><strong>1. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-crowd-chants-modi-modi-as-india-pm-winds-up-silicon-valley-tour-2015-9?IR=T">Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured Silicon Valley this weekend.</a></strong> He visited Facebook, Google, and Tesla, and Apple's Tim Cook also came to see him.</p><p><strong>2. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-nexus-5x-6p-rumors-release-specs-2015-9">It's Google's big Autumn event on Tuesday.</a></strong> We're expecting to see two new phones, a new version of Google's Chromecast streaming dongle and Android Marshmallow, the latest version of the company's mobile operating system.</p><p><strong>3. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-facebook-eyeing-tv-dollars-rolls-out-new-ad-products-2015-9">Facebook is going after TV advertisers.</a></strong> On Sunday, it released a bevy of new products for advertisers for Facebook and Instagram.</p><p><strong>4. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-antitrust-us-android-report-2015-9">Google is reportedly facing antitrust scrutiny in the US over Android.</a></strong> It's similar to the ongoing European Commission investigation into Google in Europe.</p><p><strong>5. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-united-nations-speech-2015-9">Mark Zuckerberg wants everyone in the world to be on the internet by 2020.</a></strong> The Facebook CEO announced the lofty ambition at a United Nations forum on Saturday.</p><p><strong>6. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-making-its-biggest-bet-on-china-2015-9">Uber is making its biggest bet yet in China.</a></strong> It's launching UberCommute, a product it describes as "carpooling at the press of a button."</p><p><strong>7. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/world/americas/mark-zuckerbergannounces-project-to-connect-refugee-camps-to-the-internet.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">Mark Zuckerberg announced a project to connect refugee camps to the internet.</a></strong> The New York Times reports that the Facebook CEO did not elaborate on how it would work.</p><p><strong>8. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/samsung-cheaper-galaxy-s6-switch-iphone-2015-9">Samsung has a new plan to persuade customers to switch from the iPhone.</a></strong> It will pay monthly installment bills until 2016, and offer switchers a $100 (£66) Google Play gift card in the US.</p><p><strong>9. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/vinyl-sales-do-better-than-free-streaming-services-2015-9">Vinyl sales generate more revenue than free Spotify, YouTube, and VEVO streams combined.</a></strong> Streaming generated $168 million (£111 million) for the music industry in the first half of 2015, compared to $222 million (£146 million) from vinyl.</p><p><strong>10. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-india-wi-fi-2015-9">Google plans to bring free Wi-Fi to 400 train stations in India.</a></strong> 100 stations will be connected before the end of 2016.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-insane-life-of-sean-parker-napster-facebook-2015-8">Inside the insane life of Facebook billionaire Sean Parker</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="djYXZ4djo8F4ptbDwldBI28l1PG-kk1B" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'djYXZ4djo8F4ptbDwldBI28l1PG-kk1B',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "UberCommute" and got 5 results

Here are UberCommute drivers telling why they prefer carpooling over taxi ridesharing

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