The new public transport in town -- Ola Share and Uber Pool -- reducing congestion, pollution

Pic credit: Uber

Hiring cabs for commuting from point A to point B, was considered a sign of luxury. The hoi polloi took the bus, even if it meant waiting for half an hour or even one hour. A taxi was for that rare emergency.

There was a reason: the cost. Cabs were expensive, and simply not affordable.

Then came the technology that enabled a virtual aggregation of thousands of cabs which could be hailed remotely sitting at home, or wherever. One can even see the cab that is on its way to pick you up.

Uber, Ola and a few others, basically technology companies, became cab operators by even not owning a single cab.

The operational pattern changed, and prices dropped. Cabs became preferable.

Then came a tweak to the technology that enabled booking of the same cab by multiple people, who are headed in the same direction.

Prices dropped further, so much so that even if it was costlier than the bus, the convenience combined with the saving of time, made cabs a still more preferable medium of commute.

Besides pricing, cab services took the form of public transport.

Amazing technology

The way passengers are booked on to Ola Share and Uber Pool is a remarkable piece of technology. The algorithm knows the seating capacity of four, and after a ride has begun with the first booking, the remaining seats are filled as and when there is a booking by anyone who wishes to travel in the same direction the cab is headed.

On many occasions, the cab I travelled in had its full quota of four passengers most of the time, with a new passenger being added within minutes of one being dropped. A driver once told me riders were being added continuously for nearly four hours, he switched off the booking option so that he could take a break and have some snacks.

When I use Ola Share or Uber Pool , I get a feeling that the mode of transport loosely resembles commuting by bus. Instead of physically waving your hand at an incoming bus in order to board it, here you book via an app. Like in the case of a bus, there are people getting in and getting out.

However, unlike a bus, I don't have to wait without having any idea of when the cab will come; I can actually see on a map the cab approaching. And secondly, bus routes are fixed, but the cab route is flexible enough: I am able to get off precisely at the point where I want to go.

Don't take your car, book ride-sharing cab

My suggestion is, as far as possible, take a ride-sharing cab instead of either taking your own car or booking one for just yourself. Not only you save money, but you reduce traffic congestion, and thereby pollution too. Of course, an Ola Share or a Uber Pool might take 15 or even 20 minutes extra compared to when travelling alone, but that is a small sacrifice for the many benefits. Remember, it's still a lot better than bus, is it not?

It was so shocking to see government in some States (Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu) either banning carpooling or thinking of it. I hope the government recognizes app-based ride-sharing cab services as a public transport service on a par with buses, encourages it as a matter of policy; and perhaps even launches one of its own.

There will be fewer cars on roads, there will be lesser pollution, and people will be able to travel more comfortably and reach their destinations faster.

Forget e-wallet. What is your UPI ID?

It's quite a few years since e-wallets became popular. Most banks and e-commerce players have one. Then there are those like Paytm and MobiKwik.

These e-wallets are like the physical wallets that we carry with us. Transfer online money from your bank to the e-wallet app, and when you have to make a payment, transfer money from the e-wallet. 

But frankly, I never understood, why one should put money in the e-wallet from the bank, and then spend it, when we can make payment directly from the bank? Why move money twice? I rarely used e-wallets; for many years I have been using either debit card or credit card.

Unified Payments Interface

Now we are hearing more and more about UPI. What's that?

It's the abbreviation for Unified Payments Interface. It's a system that connects your bank/banks to a UPI mobile app. When you use an UPI app to make a payment, money gets deducted from your bank and gets credited to the receiver's bank account. 

In short, a bank account to bank account transfer via a UPI app. The best part is you don't need to know the recipient's bank account details. 

PhonePe, a Bengaluru-based company was one among the first to take the lead in this. The app was launched in December 2015.

In December 2016, the National Payments Corporation of India, launched a UPI app, under the name Bhim.

And day before yesterday, Google launched Tez.

Why I prefer UPI to e-wallets

The biggest takeaway is the ease of transaction. You can connect more than one bank to the UPI app; and payments go directly from your bank account. 

Another reason is, in e-wallets, sender and receiver should have same app. I can't transfer money from my Paytm to a MobiKwik user. But in the case of UPI, two people who have any UPI can transfer money to each other irrespective of the app they use. So transfer from PhonePe user to a user of Bhim or Tez is possible if the sender knows the recipient's UPI ID.

My gut feeling is that UPI is way forward for now. Only that the apps need to have more features on them.

Most importantly, retail stores, pharmacies, utility services, and any other places where people need to make payment, have to publicize their UPI ID, so that payments can be made easily.

What is your UPI ID?

It's very easy to get one. It's like an email ID, which I need if I need to send you a mail.

Download PhonePe, or Bhim, or Google Tez.

Your phone number is verified. Then you need to link your bank account to the UPI app. 

Then, you get a UPI ID. If it's PhonePe, it's usually your phone number@ybl; it is if Bhim it's phone number@upi; if it's Google's Tez, it's your Gmail ID@ok(name of the bank which you have linked).

If someone has to pay you money, just provide them your UPI ID, just as you provide anyone your email ID if they have to send you an email.

Money transfer can't get easier than this. It's all transparent, logged and accounted for. No need to worry about getting small change when shopping.

Why you can't begin a sentence with "Due to"

One of the tasks of journalists is to get facts and the language right.

We need to get the facts right, for obvious reasons. We need to get the language right, because a wrong preposition or a phrase or a punctuation or a word can even alter the meaning of a sentence.

If there is a mistake in language, it might essentially amount to getting the fact wrong.

Even after so many years in the profession of journalism, I keep looking up the dictionary and renowned publications every day with doubts regarding a word or a phrase. It's always a learning experience, and I thought I must make it a practice to put out here in the blog what I learn. The last time I blogged on "Language" was in 2007.

There is this endless debate on the difference between "due to" and "owing to". Though many believe that the two are synonymous, many puritans aren't amused if one is used in the place of the other.

Here's what I have learnt:

Due to:

• It means "caused by"
• Never begin a sentence with "due to". Actually you can't.
• The right place where it's used is after variations of the verb "to be", like "is", "was", "are", "were".

For example:

• His absence was due to illness
• His success was due to hardwork
• The cancellation of the concert was due to rain

Notice here:

• You cannot rephrase these sentences by starting them with "Due to".
• The sentences are incomplete if you cut off the portion from 'due to'. 

Owing to

• It means "because of"
• You can begin a sentence with "owing to".
• Before 'owing to' you don't have "is", "was", "are", or "were", instead you have a noun, or something that describes the noun.
  
  For example:
  
• He was absent owing to illness
• He was successful owing to sheer hardwork
• The concert was cancelled owing to the rain

Notice here:

• You can rephrase these sentences by starting them with "Owing to".
• The sentences are complete if you cut off the portion from 'owing to'. 

This is the reason you can't begin a sentence with "Due to".