Odd-even 2: Carpooling for all on PoochhO app

The Delhi government has upgraded its PoochhO mobile application to allow even those who do not own a car to avail carpooling facilities. More safety features has been added to the app.

The Delhi government on Tuesday, three days before launching the second phase of its odd-even initiative, launched an upgraded version of its carpooling mobile application PoochhO.

A CNG station staff pasting CNG sticker on a car ahead of the second edition of the odd-even, which will be implemented from April 15 to April 30. Cars running on CNG are exempt from the car rationing restriction. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

The upgraded version of the PoochhO app will allow even people who do not own a car to avail of carpooling facilities and has more security features, officials said.

The Delhi government has launched PoochhO ahead of odd-even part-1 in January. More than 7,000 people have since registered themselves on the application, which can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store.

The new version has three new features. “The facility now can be availed even by people who do not own a car. The distance has been increased from two to five kilometres. Keeping security in mind, especially of women, users can now use a chat feature to communicate with others without sharing personal details like mobile numbers,” transport minister Gopal Rai told said.

The application will throw up odd or even numbered cars depending on the registration number of a car user registered. “If an individual registers his even number car, the application would throw up options of odd number cars on odd days and vice versa,” an official said.

Rai appealed to residents to enroll themselves and make the drive a success again. “The SDMs will approach RWAs and motivate members to register. We will approach school management to do the same,” Rai said.

45,000 people have downloaded the application so dar. Besides car pooling, the application can be used to hire autorickshaws.

The transport minister said about 40,000 verified mobile numbers of auto drivers had been updated on the application. A commuter can book a GPS-enabled auto-rickshaws by logging in.