The daily travelers staying in Bengaluru face traffic congestion on a daily basis, but now they are about to face more inconvenience on the road. A circular has been issued by the transport department of Bengaluru that using carpooling apps such as Zoom and QuickRide is now illegal. Heavy penalties are levied in this case and the offenders will have to pay a fine up to INR 10,000, also the registration certificate (RC) of the vehicle will be suspended.
The circular issued by the transport department of Bengaluru states that private vehicles should not be used for commercial purposes which also incorporate the practice of carpooling, and that present day carpooling apps are breaking the law. Several complaints were filed by taxi driver unions and as a result the transport department of Bengaluru has acted by issuing the circular and declaring carpooling an illegal activity in Bengaluru.
The Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) of Bengaluru as well as Devanahalli, KR Pura, Electronic City, Yelahanka, HSR Layout, and Jayanagar have been instructed to take relevant action against private vehicles for carpooling.
Several Carpooling apps function without any license, and in order to end this a member of the Rajya Sabha has also commented to make these apps legal. It is suggested that obtaining a permit for commercial purposes is better for vehicle owners than using their private vehicles for carpooling in the same Rajya Sabha meeting.
The opinions of the public vary from the transport department of Bengaluru. According to the general public, carpooling apps have made their lives easier, as it is more convenient, cost-effective and reduces the problems they face due to heavy traffic jams.
The transport department of Bengaluru has released the data that on the city roads there are 1.1 crore vehicles with 23.5 lakh are four-wheelers and 73.6 lakh are two-wheelers. The majority of these vehicle owners are office goers and carpooling is considered an effective solution to ease the problems they face due to heavy traffic jams. The Karnataka government now must address this concern to develop a balanced policy because private companies and a few government agencies have shown their support to develop more carpooling apps.
