Now, redBus introduces bikes into rPool; available in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune

Online bus ticketing platform, redBus has announced the introduction of bikes into rPool, its in-app ride-sharing service that was launched recently. Starting with Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, this new service allows office goers to avail and offer rides in their personal two-wheelers while commuting between home and their workplace.

Bike service:
Like carpool, bike pool emerges from the need to develop sustainable solutions for the burgeoning traffic congestion problems that most Indian cities endure on an everyday basis.

As the Indian cities are most congested in the world, the bike ride will be easier for the commuters to avoid traffic, to commute faster, lead to lower congestion and also less expensive.

To cut travel duration:
The higher travel duration resulting from congestion within cities and inadequate public transport infrastructure has led to commuters relying on personal two-wheelers, especially for travel to and from work, considering their size advantage and manoeuvrability. About 75% of all vehicles in India are two-wheelers, with one in three households owning one. Two-wheelers are therefore best suited for shared commute, thanks to greater concentration, easier access and quicker travel, comparatively. 

Here are some important features:

Verified Profiles via multiple checks: 
In order to build a trusted community of ride givers and ride takers, the facility is restricted to working professionals undertaking daily commute. Users are verified through their mobile number and their organization’s corporate email id.

Safe, secure and, private: 
‘rPool’ has introduced phone number masking which enables users to connect with each other via the redBus app without revealing their phone numbers to each other, thus ensuring privacy. Ride takers would be provided accident insurance free of cost for each ride. Ride givers also have an option to specify if they have an extra helmet for the ride taker or if the ride taker mandatorily needs to bring in a helmet for themselves.

In-App chat feature: 
For ease of communication between the ride givers and ride takers, there is an in-app chat that allows One-To-One chat and group chat if a ride is available on the app. This protects user identity and allows for better coordination.

Attractive Incentives: 
Ride givers can configure incentives, ranging from Re. 1 to Rs. 4 per kilometer for offering rides. They also earn 2X for the first 10 rides. Promo code feature is live for both ride givers and ride takers. This will be available over and above the default offers. Customers may watch out for exclusive deals from partners.

Inaugural Launch Offer: 
As an inaugural offer, for the first 500 ride givers in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune each, rPool would be charging zero commission for the first 5 years.

User profiles and feedback mechanism: 
The platform allows the creation of user profiles based on user reviews, allowing participants the option of choosing the people they wish to travel with, based on their ratings. It also offers women ride givers or takers to choose to travel with women alone, as an option.

Watch Zee Business video below:

Advantage for office-goers:
The concept also allows young office-goers, savings on fuel as they share costs by offering their pillion seats to a co-rider. redBus believes in the concept of ‘shared mobility’, as a sustainable option to tackling the situation of vehicular congestion and considers bike pooling to be one of the best solutions, in addition to carpooling.