Unclogging the congestion: Indian government mulls over limiting shared rides by private car owners

Choosing between policies that reduce congestion on the roads and ones that protect the livelihood of Uber and Ola cab drivers is a conundrum that India has been able to fix. And it is a work in progress. That is to say, the government is currently mulling over enabling private cars to offer ride sharing.

Considering that a significant part of the urban population is employed in sectors with commercial vehicles, the choice is between either capping the number of rides that private car owners can indulge in or placing a limit on the amount of revenue generated.

A source told ETtech, that the impetus to establish this program is a part of a larger design to promote greater mobility in India. The plan may be extended beyond cars to apply ride sharing on auto rickshaws and bikes as well.

The introduction of ride-sharing facilities in India brought about a big change in how people choose to travel from point A to point B. And, the numerous cab driver strikes have already showcased how it’s not an easy life on the other side of the steering wheel.

Reports also suggest that Uber and Ola are already applying pressure to avoid such a regulation from going through. This is despite the fact that rumours have been speculating that the entire program might be implemented through aggregators like them.

The government is apparently applying due diligence and reviewing international laws before deciding on how it will go about with this endeavour.

Is it the solution?

A recent report by Bruce Schaller titled, ‘Unsustainable?’ explores the impact of Uber and Lyft in the US. It specifically looked at ride sharing options like UberPool and Lyft Line only to find that such services might actually be making traffic worse.

Rather than reduce congestion, ride-sharing services end up giving competition to public transport systems like the metro and buses. And, in terms of efficiency, results found that there wasn’t much of a difference between ride sharing and its solo counterpart. All in all, the conclusion stated that ride sharing has only resulted in more driving in general.

The situation, is of course, different in India but also relatively new in comparison. Either way, before such a measure is implemented, the impact of ride sharing so far should be assessed by an unbiased agency to determine whether or not such a measure will even achieve the desired result.