Uber Announces #SwitchToPool Campaign to Deal with Pollution and Cash Shortage in Delhi NCR

Uber announced the roll out of ‘POOL Thursdays’ as a part of its #SwitchToPool campaign with an aim to accelerate Uber’s efforts to offer carpooling and ride-sharing as credible solutions to the growing menace of rising pollution levels and congestion in the city. In a landmark move, this Pool Thursday, Uber will encourage more riders to use Pool by making that the default option on the app for select riders, during rush hour. This is the boldest bid by Uber so far to encourage riders to Pool and be a part of the solution.

“Across India, traffic congestion leads to an estimated loss of Rs 60,000 crore per year, including fuel wastage. Currently, on an average, we have just one person in a car at any given point, with the average asset utilization rate as low as 5%. This indicates a need and opportunity to put ‘more people in fewer cars’, said Mr Prabhjeet Singh, General Manager Delhi & NCR, Uber India.

“We believe that tackling pollution levels and congestion requires concerted action and collaborative partnerships. Our experience across cities in India and globally shows that alternate methods of commute, carpooling and ride-sharing have made a tangible difference,” he added.

UberPOOL has enabled people going the same way at the same time to share their journey, by carpooling. In Delhi NCR itself, since the launch of UberPool, over 31% trips of Uber trips were Pool, resulting in a saving more than 12 million kilometres being driven on the roads, that’s 31 trips to the moon.

As a part of ‘POOL Thursdays’, Uber will also be announcing a slew of interesting promotional offers in the coming days to raise awareness amongst citizens and encourage them to Pool their rides.