Environment

India oil strike leads to interest in carpooling

by amyjudd | January 9, 2009 at 03:52 pm

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As India continues to struggle to cope with loss of oil due to the a strike at India's state run oil companies, and the gas at the pumps runs dry, residents are turning to alternate ways to get to work - one of those ways is to start carpooling.

Residents can walk, but a better option is to ride with others, helping the environment and the gridlock on the roads in a country where it is expected every day.

But indimoto.com, a website that matches carpoolers across the country, saw a rise in new users, and has waived the registration fee of 150 rupees ($3) till the strike lasts.

"We hope this strike will trigger greater interest in carpooling because people are being forced to consider options," said founder Udit Bhandari, who offered a stranded man a ride.

"We have been promoting carpooling since 2006, but awareness is still very low, and the general tendency for people who own cars is to travel by themselves," he said, adding that the site, which connects carpoolers in 130 Indian cities, has more than 10,500 registered users.

Only about 8 in 1,000 people own cars in India, but with rising incomes and cheaper cars it is becoming more possible for people to own a car.

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