A month of car-pooling in Bangalore

20 working days, 40 rides, 103 people have shared the rides. That makes it 2.5 people (read it as 2 to 3 :-)) joined me every time i drove my car to office and back. i highly appreciate and recommend QuickRide app for daily commuters to office. In only a month's time, i have met 46 different people from a range of companies, profiles, places, and experiences. Each one of them was cordial, friendly and professional. We talked about traffic predominantly, and office, work, culture, schools, food, movies, music and what not... Its interesting to know different people.                    Quickride app is so intuitive to use. It's easy to offer or find rides, let people join your ride and take them along on the way! The in-the-app Map helps you know their pickup/drop points well in advance. And the best part is that a voice reads out messages, check ins from your partners when you are driving. So there's absolutely no need of using your phone while driving. Safe!                                                              And as i share more rides, i see that there are many groups already for different routes where people publish their rides! They know each other so well so that it's almost a social networking tool!                                                                    Well, when someone joins/requests to join, QuickRide app has a typical tone for notification. Yesterday i was in the lift of the car parking of my office, and the app's notification with the tone appeared on my phone. A guy standing next to me,  knowing what it was, smiled at me and said "Do you also use QuickRide?".

Try it. Cheers.           

PS: the screenshot from the app above shows the stats for the 40 rides i have done so far.                                        

Agara is the new Silkboard!

You Can Help!

Everyday scene at Agara-Iblur stretch. 

10 ways to help and reduce traffic jams in Bangalore

Do You drive a car to office every day? You don’t? Do you know someone who does?

And do you spend time in, and talk about, the traffic jams in Bangalore?

Here are 10 straight ways You could help to reduce the traffic in. Yes you. Please read on to know how!

 

1.      Use the transport provided by your office

Having used office transport for the most part of my career, I would say this is the best mode of commuting, for work. You reach office on time and leave on time, most of the times.

2.      Use BMTC busses  

Well, BMTC has one of the best connectivity in the country for office goers. Don’t believe it? Here are some names of the bus stops – Intel, JP Morgan, IBM, iGate, Wipro, Infosys, Manyata tech park, Prestige Shantiniketan. Get some clues? Volvos are a cooler way to travel. There are plenty of other alternatives too. So, put on your headphones and catch a bus.

3.      Use Namma Metro

Have you tried our new pride of the city. Mysore road to east bangalore in just 40 minutes (that otherwise takes, umm, I guess, ‘infinite’ time! You just need to check the routes, they are abundantly frequent enough. What’s more? Discipline followed (enforced by the security) for boarding a metro here is unmatched in the country. You will love the way it swiftly takes you to the destination.  

4.      Car pool

From a Whatsapp group to dedicated apps, you have everything to communicate and fill in your car with a fellow colleague (4-5 of them, actually). Offload the pain of driving through the traffic and kill the boredom of driving alone altogether.

5.       Offer lift to a stranger.

Well, I wouldn’t say a perfect stranger. But you could generously offer a ride to a colleague waiting for a bus or walking down the road. Lanyards will help you to decide if you should really offer.

6.      Ride a Motor Bike

If you are into motorbikes and love the breeze of cool and fresh air while riding, you are in the right place. Put on your helmet, wear your jacket and ride to office tomorrow. See for yourself how much time you would save that way.

7.      Use your Bicycle or even rent one.

Are you a fitness enthusiast and love riding a bike to burn calories, Bangalore’s weather is just perfect for you too. I know an ex-colleague of mine, who rides his bike to office keeping his swanky new Toyota at home, often. There are some bikes available on rent also, for a mere rupee an hour charge. Go for it.

8.      Use Flexi timing policy of your company

This is for those rich company employees who are offered flexi-timing options, officially. And if you are well in sync with your team, you could even have a timing of your own, unofficially.

9.      Walk up to your office.

This may not be for everyone reading this. But you can and should surely walk if your office is just a couple of kilometers away. Remember, a 20 minutes’ walk everyday keeps you a lot fitter than those who don’t walk at all.

10. Don’t go to office

Yeah. I mean it! If your company allows you to work from home, do work from home sometimes. A piece of free advice here, Do Work from home!

I leave it to the wise readers to take any of these points and help keep this city from merely being infamous for the traffic woes. Remember, one car less on the road tomorrow, you would be home faster. 

Bon Voyage!

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