Fuel price hike boosts carpool portals

By agencies   |   Wednesday, 07 June 2006, 19:30 IST   |    5 Comments
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MUMBAI: Rise in fuel price has boosted carpool websites in India, hoping this will lure office goers to lighten the burden on their pockets. Udit Bhandari, CEO of Indiamoto.com said, "People are beginning to realize the benefits of a carpool. We are just bringing them together." Indian authorities raised petrol prices by 9.2 percent and diesel by 6.6 percent, the third increase in one year. Petrol now costs 53.50 a liter in Mumbai. Carpooling is still in its infancy in India. The Web site, which started in April, gets around 60,000 hits a month. But there is no accurate estimate of how many people use a carpool in India. India's fast expanding passenger vehicles market is expected to nearly double to more than two million units by 2010, feeding a massive demand for fuel and, environmentalists say, worsening air pollution. Most Indian cities choke with pollution, blamed primarily on smoke-spewing public transport and taxis, many of which are over 20 years old. Bhandari says, "In the U.S. and Canada, they encourage the use of carpool because of its multiple saving benefits. It saves oil, saves money and saves the environment." The portal also teaches potential carpoolers some etiquette.