- Mumbai's traffic congestion causes long, costly commutes for many professionals
- Carpooling communities like liftlelo.com help reduce solo commuting burdens
- Liftlelo.com uses WhatsApp groups and verification for safe, reliable ride sharing
With Mumbai's traffic congestion continuing to worsen, daily office commuting has become increasingly stressful, time-consuming, and expensive for thousands of professionals across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Commuters travelling from areas like Navi Mumbai to major business districts such as Lower Parel often spend nearly two-and-a-half hours on a one-way journey, while also bearing rising fuel costs, toll charges, and parking expenses.
The growing pressure of everyday travel has led many office-goers to explore alternative commuting options, including organised carpooling communities that connect people travelling on similar routes. Shared commuting is gradually emerging as a practical solution for professionals looking to reduce travel costs and avoid driving alone in heavy traffic conditions.
Speaking to NDTV, Sailesh Dubey of liftlelo.com said, "Travelling from Navi Mumbai to Lower Parel alone takes nearly 2.5 hours", highlighting the daily struggle faced by office-goers across the city. He said the platform was created to help commuters find people travelling towards the same destination so they could share rides and reduce the burden of solo commuting.
The platform primarily functions through route-based WhatsApp groups where users can coordinate rides, share travel schedules, and even take turns driving. It is specifically designed for office-goers and follows a verification process aimed at maintaining safety and reliability. Users are required to register using their WhatsApp number and official work email ID before being added to relevant groups. According to the platform, this verification-based system has also contributed to higher participation from female commuters because of greater trust and familiarity among working professionals.
The system operates with two broad categories of users: "Lift Givers" and "Lift Takers". Members can connect with commuters travelling on the same routes, pre-book rides in advance, and follow a standardised fare structure intended to maintain fairness for all users.
Some of the busiest routes on the platform include office hubs such as Lower Parel, Andheri, and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), which witness heavy traffic movement during peak office hours. The community claims to have been operational for nearly nine years and currently has around 35,000 members across the MMR region.
The platform also states that it does not charge any membership or platform fee and does not operate on an advertising model, with most of its growth happening through word-of-mouth recommendations among commuters.
When asked whether Mumbai's traffic situation has significantly worsened over the years, Dubey told NDTV, "There is no major difference," while maintaining that traffic congestion and long travel hours continue to remain a challenge for daily commuters.
The initiative is now also planning expansion into Pune while exploring further growth opportunities in other cities.
