Now, carpool option for private drivers in B'luru

Global taxi-aggregator player Uber Technologies on Monday launched uberCOMMUTE feature, a new product, which allows drivers of private cars to share their ride with fellow commuters who are headed in the same direction.

In an interaction with Deccan Herald, Uber South & West General Manager, Bhavik Rathod said the service would be available between 7 am and 9 pm across the city.

“We are excited to launch uberCOMMUTE in Bengaluru. It offers a reliable, convenient and an even more affordable option to get around the city,” he said.

Around 1,600 new cars hit the streets everyday, and traffic congestion has increased nearly three-fold. “Traffic is a never ending problem and the Government of Karnataka and the Bangalore Traffic Police together are working hard to resolve it. UberCOMMUTE will help tackle congestion and pollution by getting more people in fewer cars. It’s a model that has worked in other major cities too,” said Bhavik.

Three months ago, Uber launched its ride sharing service UBERPool in the city, and it was a huge success.

Uber Technologies has increased its war chest by moving close to raising $2.1 billion for a total valuation of $62.5 billion, unprecedented in the history of any startups. According to sources, most of the funds will be used to expand its activities in India and China.

In just over two years of starting its journey in India, with the launch in Bengaluru in 2013, Uber India has doubled its operations and has its presence in 26 cities, the second largest market after US.

The company also recently decided to set up its first engineering centre in India. It has similar centres in San Francisco, Amsterdam, Aarhus in Denmark, Sofia in Bulgaria and Vilnius in Lithuania.

Uber’s competitor Ola also launched OlaPool recently in NCR. CarPool from Ola comes after its initiatives like Ola Share and Ola Shuttle.