Meet this entrepreneur who launched India’s largest not-for-profit carpool company to address Delhi’s severe air pollution problem

In India’s rapidly expanding cities, where traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions have become part of daily life, the question is no longer whether sustainable transportation is needed but how urgently it can be implemented at scale. Amid this challenge, GreenCar, India’s largest not-for-profit carpool organisation, has quietly but steadily been reshaping how people commute, collaborate, and care for the environment.

Founded in Delhi NCR in 2014, GreenCar is not just a carpooling platform—it is a movement rooted in environmental responsibility, social participation, and collective action. Operating as an NGO and sustained through CSR funding and donations, GreenCar represents a powerful example of how technology, community, and purpose can come together to address one of urban India’s most pressing problems.

The growing crisis of urban mobility

India is urbanising at an unprecedented pace. With millions commuting daily for work, education, and personal needs, private vehicle usage has surged, placing enormous strain on city infrastructure and air quality. According to multiple environmental studies, vehicular emissions remain one of the largest contributors to urban air pollution and rising CO₂ levels.

In an exclusive interview with Startup Pedia, Rajiv Arora, founder of GreenCar, explained why sustainable transportation is no longer optional—it is essential.

“In the face of increasing urbanisation and environmental degradation, the need for sustainable transportation solutions has never been more urgent,” he noted.

GreenCar was conceived as a direct response to this reality: a practical, scalable solution that reduces emissions, eases congestion, and encourages people to rethink how they move through their cities.

A concept beyond the name

Despite what the name might suggest, GreenCar does not provide electric or biodiesel vehicles. Instead, it is a conceptual initiative, a symbolic yet impactful approach to sustainability. The “green” in GreenCar represents the reduction of carbon emissions achieved through carpooling, rather than the fuel type of the vehicle itself.

“GreenCar is a concept name,” Rajiv explains. “It denotes a reduction in CO₂ emissions with a carpooling service.”

The logic is simple but powerful: fewer cars on the road mean lower emissions, less traffic, and cleaner air. By encouraging people to share rides they are already taking, GreenCar transforms everyday commuting into an act of environmental responsibility.

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Connecting people who want to share the road

One of GreenCar’s most distinctive features is its thoughtful approach to human behaviour.

“You cannot directly ask someone for a ride,” Rajiv points out. "Social hesitation often prevents people from initiating carpool conversations, even when they are open to the idea," he said.

GreenCar solves this by acting as a neutral connector, bringing together people with complementary commuting needs. The platform connects three distinct user groups:

• Seeker – someone looking for a ride

• Pooler – a car owner willing to offer a ride

• Either – someone who can drive on alternate days

Through this structure, the app provides flexible, trust-based carpooling arrangements without awkwardness or pressure.

The seeker pays the pooller at a charge of INR 3.5 per km (suggestive) with the option to increase or reduce the cost.

“Anyone looking for carpooling, whether seeker, pooler, or someone who drives on alternative days, has the option to ride together,” Rajiv explains. “We cater to long routes as well as short routes, so whether it’s a daily office commute or a one-time trip, all options are available in a single app.”

Technology with a social purpose

GreenCar’s lifetime-free mobile application, available on both Android and iOS, is designed to be inclusive and accessible. By removing financial barriers, the organisation ensures that sustainability is not a premium service, but a shared public good.

The app does more than match routes. It builds a sense of community. Each shared ride becomes a small but meaningful contribution toward reducing congestion and emissions. Over time, these individual actions aggregate into a measurable environmental impact.

Unlike profit-driven ride-hailing platforms, GreenCar’s mission is not transactional. Its value lies in behavioural change, encouraging people to see mobility as a shared responsibility rather than a solitary convenience.

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How did GreenCar happen? 

Behind GreenCar’s mission lies a deeply personal story. The idea took shape when Delhi’s severe air pollution began affecting Rajiv Arora’s father, who developed a serious pulmonary condition despite being a non-smoker.

“That moment made me realise that pollution is not an abstract issue, but it is hugely personal,” Rajiv has shared.

Witnessing the direct health consequences of poor air quality pushed him to take action, not just as a citizen, but as a changemaker.

Rather than approaching the problem through policy advocacy alone, Rajiv chose a grassroots, action-oriented path that empowers individuals to become part of the solution.

Who is Rajiv Arora?

Rajiv Arora brings a unique professional background to GreenCar. A Commerce graduate, MBA (Finance)  and LLB, he is also the Director of Elite Corporate Solutions Private Limited, where his expertise spans executive search, talent management, and leadership consulting.

“My expertise spans executive search, talent management, and leadership consulting, helping organisations navigate complex hiring challenges efficiently,” the carpool platform founder said. “I am passionate about building lasting relationships with both clients and candidates, driving mutual growth and excellence.”

This experience has translated seamlessly into building partnerships, trust building, and scaling GreenCar through collaboration rather than competition.

CSR and ESG: A call to Corporate India

As an NGO, GreenCar sustains itself through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding and donations, making it an ideal partner for companies looking to strengthen their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) commitments.

Currently, GreenCar is actively inviting corporate organisations to collaborate with them as part of CSR and ESG initiatives. For companies, this partnership offers more than compliance—it provides measurable environmental impact, employee engagement, and positive brand association.

By integrating GreenCar into corporate commuting strategies, organisations can directly reduce their carbon footprint while fostering a culture of sustainability among employees.

Changing how India thinks about mobility

At its core, GreenCar is about mindset change. It challenges the assumption that convenience must come at the cost of the environment. Instead, it shows that small behavioural shifts, such as sharing a ride, can collectively create a large-scale impact.

As cities continue to grow and environmental pressures intensify, solutions like GreenCar demonstrate that sustainability does not always require massive infrastructure overhauls. Sometimes, it starts with simply sharing the road.

More than a decade since its founding, GreenCar stands as a reminder that meaningful change often begins with personal conviction, community participation, and a willingness to rethink everyday habits.

In a country searching for scalable, inclusive, and practical solutions to urban pollution, GreenCar is not just offering rides but offering a roadmap to a cleaner, greener future.

Investments

GreenCar founder Rajiv Arora invested more than Rs. 50 lakhs into the NGO initiative so far.

Goals

“We are aiming to save INR 844 crore of India’s fuel expense in 2026 by removing 80K cars from roads via our carpooling platform across the country,” Rajiv Arora told Startup Pedia.

The not-for-profit carpool platform is trying to connect with small, medium and big companies to curb air pollution in all major Indian cities. 

“We want people to be more aware and make carpooling a usual norm for daily commute,” the Delhi-based founder shared. “We want India to be a leader in sustainable transportation.”

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