Driven by giant strides in AI and other technologies, carpooling has turned smarter and seamless, with a huge potential to marry comfort with commerce. But trapped in a twister of high taxes, yellow board registrations, permit issues and intense competition, taxi drivers see this is an existential threat to their business. Is there a middle path?
News in a section of the media carpooling is “banned” in Bengaluru last week triggered a massive outcry. Commuters who had adopted the system, both informally and through aggregator apps to smartly outwit the city’s notorious commute chaos, were outraged. The State transport department’s ban was dubbed ‘kneejerk,’ thoughtless and unilateral.
