Odd-even Phase-II starts

Delhi Police fines 884 people for not following the rule

Those who thought that enforcement agencies would be lenient on the first day of the odd-even scheme on account of it being a public holiday had a heavy price to pay. The Delhi Police fined 884 people for bringing out cars with even-numbered registration, compared to 203 people who were prosecuted on the first day of the scheme in January this year.

CASHING IN

• Orahi: It is launching a new app. People will be able to see odd-and even-numbered cars marked separately, besides the regular carpool feature
• Shuttl: It is adding 15 routes connecting different parts of Delhi with office hubs. It is expecting a 50 per cent increase in ridership
• Mylescars.com: It will allow users to hire and share Myles cars with fellow commuters starting at Rs 850 for 24 hours

The number is likely to go up, as the Delhi Police was collating data from its field units. “Last time, the concept was new so we let off many commuters after a warning. This time people are strictly advised to follow the rule,” said a senior Delhi Police official.

The real test of the scheme will be on Monday when schools and offices open after a three-day break. According to the Delhi government, 5,000 civil defence volunteers, 400 ex-servicemen, and 120 teams of the enforcement wing of the transport department will be deployed to catch errant drivers. Around 2,220 traffic policemen will also be deployed.

Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai requested parents to leave early to drop their children at school. “Women usually drop children to school and pick them up. They should enquire about other children in their vicinity and arrange to drop them at their homes,” he said.

On Friday, fewer people ventured out because of the holiday, resulting in lukewarm demand for services provided by taxi and auto-rickshaw aggregators.

“At least for the first three days there will not be a spike in demand. The real indicator will be Monday when offices open and people are out in full force,” said an executive at a taxi aggregation company. Around 100,000 taxis and over 45,000 auto-rickshaws will ply on Delhi roads handling the rush during the odd-even scheme. To handle the demand, which caused a back-end nightmare for some companies in January, most have reinforced their processes.  

“Surge pricing happens only when there is a rise in demand. It is done by an algorithm and not handled by the company. We will not witness a major surge before Monday,” added the executive.

“We have added over 11,000 CNG cars in the last five months. In addition, we have launched a pilot for bike sharing, uberMoto, in Gurgaon,” said Uber.

Its biggest rival Ola has increased its capacity to 25,000 taxis and around 18,000 auto-rickshaws. Riders on Ola Shuttle have increased to 15,000 daily.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL) recently installed charging stations for electric two-wheelers in north and northwest Delhi. It is collaborating with a leading two-wheeler manufacturer to provide free rides to people on e-scooters.

Besides, the company operates five charging stations in north and northwest Delhi for electric cars.

“Carpool by Meru is  receiving more than 1,000 booking requests daily and this is expected to rise by as much as 30 per cent,” said Siddhartha Pahwa, CEO, Meru Cabs.

The Delhi government is going all out to ensure the initiative is a success. “Odd-even starts today. Let’s all join hands and resolve to make it a success,” Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Shashwat Bhardwaj, who works for an insurance company in Gurgaon, said he was opposed to the scheme because it caused him so much inconvenience.

“Last time, I used to wait till 8 pm at the Delhi-Gurgaon border before entering the national capital. I am forced to drive to office, as there is no direct Metro connectivity between Dwarka and Gurgaon. Public transport is not available door to door,” he said.