In a move that could help thousands of office-goers in the city, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) has formally proposed legalising carpooling in the city by framing long-pending rules and addressing legal grey areas. The effort comes amid a push to ease congestion in the city.

The BTP officials held a meeting with the Transport Department last week and presented the proposal, detailing its advantages. The proposal not only seeks the framing of rules for yellow-board vehicles but also urges the inclusion of white-board vehicles, which would serve the purpose more effectively. However, the Transport Department was not very keen on taking any immediate action, citing safety concerns, opposition from sections of cab and autorickshaw aggregators, and a potential drop in the department’s revenue, sources said.

Despite the reluctance, the BTP has sought the Transport Department’s views, and a high-level meeting at the ministerial level is likely before the Monsoon session, according to sources.

The BTP sources said that if revenue loss is a concern for the department, it could develop its own application and levy a nominal charge, creating a win-win situation.

1.5 lakh to benefit

Currently, although there is no blanket ban on carpooling, grey areas in the existing framework allow transport officials to levy fines. At the same time, some aggregators offer carpooling options through a coins-based system instead of direct payment for the service.

“If there are rules on fixed rates, registrations, operating routes, and timings, among other aspects, it will help the city a great deal. Stretches such as the Outer Ring Road (ORR), the CBD, and Mysore Road will benefit substantially from carpooling,” a senior traffic police officer told The Hindu.

The BTP’s internal audit, based on data gathered from private aggregators, shows that before 2021, nearly 60,000 people benefitted from carpooling. At present, that number has dropped to 25,000. The analysis predicts that more than 1.5 lakh people will use carpooling daily if it is fully legalised and widely publicised.

“It (1.5 lakh) is just an estimate, which could go even higher. This will keep thousands of cars and bikes off the roads, a huge boost for traffic decongestion,” the officer said.

Commuters welcome move

Manu Sharma, a resident of Banashankari, regularly carpools to Bellandur through a non-commercial arrangement. He picks up his friends from Jayanagar, who also work at a company near Bellandur, and they share the fuel cost. “It is very beneficial for us because we don’t have to rely on cabs or crowded buses. If the present hurdles are addressed, the system will pick up easily because it is very convenient,” he said.

Civic activist V. Ravichandar, welcomed the move, stressing that it would essentially allow better utilisation of existing assets by creating a system of quasi-public transport through indirect additions to the public transport fleet. “If the system is implemented with the backing of technology, safety concerns can be eliminated, and service timings can also be restricted to specific hours. It will definitely reduce the burden on city traffic,” he said.

Published - July 26, 2026 07:39 pm IST