Hello everyone,
In order to move around in Bahrain, you will have to spend time on the road; for your work commute, to drop your children off at school or for everyday trips. Carpooling could be the right option for you. We would like to know your views on carpooling as a means of transport, and whether it is a practical and cost-effective option.
Is carpooling and cost-sharing common practice in Bahrain? What about the regulations in force?
For which types of journey does carpooling seem more suitable in Bahrain? How much is the cost of a carpool trip?
Is there an app or other means available to connect people looking to carpool? How do you find other carpoolers?
If you are carpooling in Bahrain, what precautions should you take to travel safely?
According to you, what are the advantages and disadvantages of carpooling?
Thank you for sharing your experience,
Diksha
Carpooling in Bahrain
Since fuel is quite cheap here, that's not something people prefer, since it involves planning the times together.
However in saying though, if you find people (friends / colleagues) who work in the same place & live in the same place, yes there are possibilities.
But relying on a generic car pooling via social network or something is not something very common or known.
You can carpool with colleagues and go back & forth; no issues in that.
But carpooling where monetary transactions are involved, is illegal as then the transport is considered as a private taxi - not allowed by law.
Police can and do stop cars (older models with 2-3 people in them - of Asian background usually) on the suspicion that it is a private taxi service. They then take the driver outside and ask him questions as to how he knows his passengers and then they talk to the passengers separately to cross-verify. Any mention of the fact that money is being exchanged will lead to the driver ending up in jail and being released only after paying a hefty fine. In my early days in Bahrain, I used a few private taxi services (before Uber/Careem came online) and I remember that the first 5 minutes were spent establishing a story with the driver. 
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