Naspers-owned, online travel group Ibibo has launched a carpooling app named Ryde, that lets users share rides and travel cost. Besides, it also offers the service for both intra and inter city rides. Similar competition given by BlaBlaCar and Rocket Internet’s Tripda.
Ryde’s mobile app, available on both IOS / Android platforms, allows people to search for registered members who are offering rides, book their ride with preferred seat, make the payment as well as speak with the driver for the pick-up location. As for the drivers, the app allows them to choose their source, destination and fee per seat. They can search for requests by passengers who are looking to share ride with them in the same direction of travel and pick their passengers. Also, passengers as well as riders can review each other as the ride ends. It also gives a history of the past rides.
The most important thing is that it allows users to check verified member profiles (through Facebook – shows profile picture, workplace, school/college and email address), sends messages before or after booking requests, sends chat messages as well as real time tracking of the driver and vehicle. It also lets drivers to create their own custom preferences on waiting time, detour, luggage size, music, smoking etc.
Currently, Ryde’s app has featured prices for rides to cities around Delhi such as Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Chandigarh in the range of INR 90-99. However, a search for rides between Mumbai-Pune and Bangalore-Mysore has not yet obtained any result on the app, suggesting Ibibo is doing a pilot in Delhi.
Earlier, Ibibo Group had acquired the Bangalore-based online bus ticketing company redBus.in in 2013. The company also operates B2C travel aggregator Goibibo.com and has a major stake in the B2B online travel platform travelboutique. Also, recently it pulled the plug from its hyper-local grocery etailing venture Tradus.
Ride sharing in India is not new. Today, there are even cab services that are run by BPO firms who already have pick-up standalone travellers on the way back from dropping BPO employees in Delhi-Gurgaon belt for instance.
There are other international companies that are operational in this space in India like French ride-sharing cab service – BlaBlaCar, Rocket Internet’s Tripda.
Recently, a Bangalore-based ride sharing app RidingO was acquired by New Delhi based taxi aggregator, Carzonrent India Pvt Ltd, which also runs radio cab services besides offering self-drive car rental and fleet management services. As per the company, it has around 8,500 registered users in Bangalore and enables over 400 trips per day. Other companies in the similar space are Car Pool and Let’s Drive Along.
