Gurgaon: Parents take to carpooling after proposed ban on private vans

The Coridr app, which is bringing parents together, was started by a Gurgaon-based couple two and a half years ago.

After a ban was proposed on private school vans from April 1, parents have decided to carpool to pick and drop children from schools.

After the proposed ban on private school vans, parents have decided to come together and use carpooling to pick and drop children from schools. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Four to five residential societies on Sohna Road are already using an application, Coridr, to carpool in an easy way. Various residents’ welfare associations have started encouraging residents to carpool.

“We will encourage our residents to use carpooling and will compile data of school-going children and then plan the pooling. We will request homemakers to come forward and initiate the plan. The safety and security of children are our main concern,” said Sanu Kapila, RWA president, Nirvana, Sector 50.

Many women friends have also formed groups to share the responsibility of carpooling.

Gurgaon: Private school vans a flexible option say parents

“We will prepare the data of school-going children in different localities. The responsibility will be shared on a weekly basis by parents and we will conduct regular awareness drives and to promote carpooling,” said Veena Gupta, a safety and security expert and resident of Sector 56.

Megha Garg, of Vipul Greens, said, “We live just 2-3 km from the school and the school bus charges are exorbitant. I am also expecting my second baby. So I was finding it difficult to drop and pick my elder son from school. I got to know of the Coridr app from a friend. I found a carpool of parents within my locality and they allowed me to join their pool.”

Vishakha Tharani, of Central Park-1, said, “Bus transportation for two children comes to nearly ₹7,000. So we opted for a private van. But since that service will be banned, we have registered for carpooling and hope we connect with parents from the same condominium.”

The Coridr app, which is bringing parents together, was started by a Gurgaon-based couple two and a half years ago.

Thirty-five -year-old Nidhi Garg was expecting her second baby and had to drop her elder daughter to school while going to office. Due to unsafe private cabs, Garg did not want to use these and so she started searching for parents who faced a similar problem so that a carpool club could be formed.

“ After a lot of networking, I managed to find parents in my locality whose kids were also going to the same school. We created a carpool and took weekly turns to drive the kids to school and back. Since then, we have never felt a need for a school bus or a private cab,” she said.

A few months ago, Garg and her husband developed a carpooling platform. “It really benefits office-going parents. A trusted car pooling among parents not only ensures flexibility and convenience for parents but also affordability and a good opportunity for kids to build social skills,” she said.