Analysing environmental co-benefits of car sharing and pooling: a case study of Delhi –gurugram corridor

Abstract

India has largely been an agriculture oriented economy and it is only after the economic reforms of 1991, the tertiary economy has started to grow in our country. The standard of living of people started to rise especially in urban centers where the service sector grew more rapidly. Delhi, the capital of country with its growing National Capital Region invited opportunities of work and earn for yourself a better standard of living. And these standards more often than not end up in buying a CAR and a home for an individual. Hence, one finds that the number of Cars plying on road increase invariably every year. The country has policies, programs to increase the trips by public transport but the comfort, pleasure, luxury offered by CAR is unmatchable by any other mode of transport and hence it is often hard to shift the choice of mode for CAR users to other more sustainable means. So, question arises what should one do now to reduce the number of cars, traffic congestion on roads and as a resultant of all these, the vehicular emission pollution that it causes. The data on average vehicular occupancy of trips made by car reveals that their occupancy is low, thereby providing an opportunity to share/ pool the same car for trips to same destination can result in higher vehicular occupancy, less cars on road, less emission per trip made by the cars, reduced parking demand and improved speed on roads. The study focuses exactly on this phenomenon and chooses Delhi-Gurugram to test this research question as this segment has high percentage share of trips by Car than any other mode and invariably the trips are destined to the same area. The people are travelling from Delhi to Gurugram mainly for work trips thereby, making not only their destination same but also the timing of their trips same. Hence, the study explores the ways, methods to encourage people travelling by CAR to share/ pool it with other known/unknown persons and their willingness to do so. As a result different scenarios are generated to showcase the possible benefits it would have on the road traffic, vehicular emission percentage and levels; parking and speed and also not compromising the factors that prompt people to travel by CAR only.