Ola, Uber say carpool cuts carbon footprint

As the Ola Share and Uber Pool platforms approach one year of offering services, they claim commuters are not just saving money but also reducing their carbon footprint.

In the last 10 months, Ola has been able to able save 4.8 million kg of emissions along with 2 million litres of fuel. Uber says its sharing platform has led to a saving of 605,000 litres of fuel since the service was launched in October 2015.

Ola Share and Uber Pool allow commuters to club their daily commute with people traveling to the same destination. Rides can be shared by two or more people.

“Ola Share enables savings of up to 50 per cent for passengers. More importantly though, it helps in decongesting traffic and in bringing down pollution,” an Ola spokesperson said.

Experts said car pooling services would reduce emissions only if people using personal vehicles opted for it.

If people using public transport switch to these services the impact on the environment will not be substantial.

Ola Share was initially launched in Bengaluru towards the end of 2015 and is now available in Delhi NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The company has rolled out a #Doyourshare campaign that allows passengers to choose the people they want to share their ride with. The two-week campaign in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru reduced over 1,200 tonnes of emissions.