Uber to pilot carpooling service UberPOOL in Bengaluru

Firm claims over half of all rides in San Francisco are now UberPOOL rides, which it hopes to replicate in Bengaluru

San Francisco-based ride hailing service Uber said it will soon pilot its carpooling service, UberPOOL, in Bengaluru, the city it launched its Indian operations nearly two years ago.

The service will allow users to share a ride and split the fare with another user who happen to be requesting a shared service ride along a similar route.

Uber claims that over half of all rides in San Francisco are now UberPOOL rides, which it hopes to replicate in Bengaluru. The other cities with UberPOOL include New York and Paris.

"Our vision for UberPOOL means helping solve some of the toughest problems cities are facing today, whether it's congestion, pollution, or lack of access to transportation, said Bhavik Rathod, GM Bangalore, Uber said in a statement.

Uber will join other dedicated car pooling service providers such as BlaBlaCar, Tripda and Ridingo, while playing catch up with its larger Indian rival Ola. Ola, modelled on Uber, claims to own 80 per cent of the app-based taxi hailing service market share in the country.

Bengaluru, home to large number of technology companies, research institutions and startups has the highest density of vehicles in the country - 53.92 lakh vehicles for a population of 84.25 lakhs.

"With UberPOOL we'll aim to achieve this vision, one we share with policy makers, to make Bangalore a city of the future - one that looks a whole lot greener, cleaner, and more efficient thanks to fewer cars and more shared rides," Rathod said.