By Sidra Kiran
Millions of people from major urban cities like Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar everyday have to face crippling traffic congestion every single day. Migration to urban areas from rural cities, population growth, increase in motorization, poor traffic management, and insufficient availability of public transport are the reasons for an increase in the number of private cars, subsequently leading to heavy traffic.
A home of 229.50 million people, Pakistan does not have enough public transportation to accommodate millions of people. This led to a massive increase in car purchases, causing more traffic, noise and air pollution, degrading road infrastructure, and burdening road users with fuel costs and lost time. Thus, aside from being a nuisance, there is also an economic cost to traffic jams.
The global expansion of ride hailing services brought the solution to Pakistan in the mid 2010s, becoming a great option for the millions of people with no access to public transport and dramatically transforming the way people travel. However, the unpredictable inflation in vehicle and fuel prices have affected some of the ventures including big names like Swvl, Airlift, Pixi and Careem leading some to permanently discontinue or pause their operations. Yet inDriver has managed to remain steady on their ground despite the situation and maintains a promise to provide fair prices; offering greater convenience, quality, economy and accessibility, thus fulfilling the agenda of ride hailing services in Pakistan.
Here are the five major reasons why booking a ride with a ride hailing app can help combat these issues.
- Fewer cars on the road
Given insufficient public transportation, the best possible solutions to freeing up the roads are carpooling or using a ride hailing service, as these services are mainly operated by the people traveling the same route. Many are office workers who are providing services on their way to work or home, to offset their transportation costs. On top of that, it is an efficient, economical, and reliable way to commute for the passengers as well. Fewer cars also means greater safety on the roads. Many ride hailing services policies have a limitation on speed which is quite helpful in terms of unnecessary traffic congestion.
- Reducing environmental pollution
Reduction in the number of vehicles can also help in combating air and noise pollution. As ride hailing services are mostly provided in private cars maintained by owners, these are usually newer models that produce significantly less air and noise pollution. By making a choice to ride through a ride hailing provider, you’d be contributing to reducing emissions from vehicles and helping in combating urban pollution in Pakistan.
- More Economical
Owning a car in Pakistan can cost one an arm and a leg. Car maintenance, taxes, fuel and insurance costs are far from being affordable to someone living off an average salary. Even a small car can cost over a million pkr, and most people who own a car can’t afford to have a driver. While renting out a small car for a day can cost a person over 10,000 pkr, ride hailing companies provide transportation services at significantly lower prices. Despite the recent hike in petrol prices affecting the country’s residents, ride hailing remains the best option as it does not set one back through expenses associated with maintaining a private vehicle.
- Time saving
Ride hailing services are available in most parts of urban areas, while waiting for public transport in scorching heat can be so hectic and time consuming. On top of that, by opting to use your own car, you’ll inevitably face the problem of finding parking spaces in commercial or even residential areas, which are really hard to find. If you are lucky enough to find a spot after what may feel like eternity, it will likely come at a cost.
- A safer commuting solution
While this may not seem obvious at first, the decision to opt for a ride with a ride hailing app can also save one a lot of brain cells. Not having to deal with being suddenly cut off by a biker or looking for a parking spot keeps the passenger stress free while traveling from one place to another. As per the study by IBA and Habib University; 83% of female students and 58% of working women on average use these ride hailing apps while mostly men prefer to travel on motorbikes for their daily commute. On average, 70% of women use ride hailing services due to safety concerns, as they are often at risk of being exposed to harassment and security-associated risks.
