Shared Mobility To Gain Momentum In India As Govt Plans Model Legislation

In a move to fight congestion and rising pollution levels across the cities, the government plans to introduce a model legislation for shared mobility. As transport is not the Centre's subject, this model legislation will act as a groundwork and will set targets for the states to pick up from and implement.

To make this work for the citizens, the Centre plans to provide fiscal and non-fiscal incentives in the legislation. These incentives would encourage citizens to follow various ways of shared mobility.

Some of the incentives that are expected to be introduced in the model legislation include compensation to those sharing rides and the longer travel time it may take, and dedicated lanes for shared vehicles. To discourage use of private vehicles some measures will be taken, too. These include closing of certain roads for private vehicles on all or some days, levying of congestion charges during peak time, and a fee for using certain roads by private vehicles.

 Under the model legislation, the government is likely to suggest various modes of shared mobility based on international practices. These include peer-to-peer platforms where individuals rent their cars when not in use, short-term rentals of vehicles managed and owned by providers, peer-to-peer with a company as a broker and on-demand private vehicles going in the same direction.

To monitor the progress of each state, the Centre would also set up an online dashboard.

What is shared mobility?

Shared mobility is a way of sharing and using transportation services and resources. This includes the use of public transport, private taxis, bikesharing, carpooling, ride-hailing, ride-splitting and shuttle services provided by corporates.

With the rising concern for the environment, energy and economy, more and more people are moving towards ways that are sustainable and help bring down the burden on all the three fronts. In India, new technology and emerging service providers are now planning to make shared mobility a reality. Car rentals, carpooling services, online shuttle service providers, among others are now creating a large network that is reaching out to a large population.

These services offer more mobility choices to users, come as a first- and last-mile solution, reduce traffic congestions, help bring down pollution levels and cut down the transportation cost per individual.

Leading the way

According to a report published by Morgan and Stanley, released earlier in June this year, India is likely to become a leader in shared mobility by 2030. The report suggests that India has all the right ingredients, including large population, internet-savvy youth and rising income levels, for shared mobility to flourish here.

India, by 2030, the report suggests, shared miles are likely to be 35 per cent of the total miles that India travels in a year. This number is expected to rise to 50 per cent by 2040.

In 2017, India drove 257 billion miles of which 10 per cent were from shared mobility.