Odd-even 2.0: All you need to know about PoochhO, the Delhi government's carpooling app

How does PoochhO work?

After downloading the app, users will have to register themselves to find carpooling options within a radius of 1-5 km, transport minister Gopal Rai said.

Car owners would be required to provide their car numbers. For instance, a person with an even-numbered car who wants to carpool on odd dates can search for odd-numbered cars. He will immediately get a list of odd-numbered cars in the vicinity, Rai said.

During the 1-15 January 2016 trial run of the Odd-Even scheme, the transport department had kickstarted a trial run of the app. But the app was shut down with the end of the trial phase. 

The PoochhO Carpool app, by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), can be downloaded on Google Play store for Android users.

Ensuring safety for all

In a bid to ensure safety of all carpoolers, the app enables users to communicate with the driver through a chat feature on the app, instead of providing their mobile numbers. 

The app is also targeted at fathers who pick up their children from schools in the afternoon, as women with children - aged up to 12-years and in school uniform - have been exempted from the scheme, Rai said.

Explaining the scheme, Rai said the government had, through a survey, found that only 10 per cent fathers picked up their children in the afternoon. "It will prove to be a good app during the 15-day scheme. Fathers going to school to pick up their children in afternoon can do a carpooling with this app," he said.

Rai said Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) will be asked to approach representatives of RWAs and organisations to download the app.

The Delhi government has also inducted 400 ex-servicemen for the enforcement wing of transport department to help in the implementation of the second phase of the Odd-Even scheme. Violation of odd-even rules will attract a penalty of Rs 2,000.

-With agency inputs