Every year it is the same story. The train you wanted shows a long waitlist, the bus fare for the Friday before Diwali is twice the usual, and a cab all the way home costs more than the gifts. Meanwhile, thousands of cars leave the same cities on the same days with empty seats, because their drivers are going home too.
A shared ride puts you in one of those seats. Here is how to make it work during the busiest week of the year.
Search early, and search more than one day
Drivers going home for a festival usually decide their day well in advance, and many publish the ride days ahead. Search as soon as you know your dates.
- Try the day before and the day after. If Friday has nothing, Thursday evening or Saturday morning may. Leaving a day early is also the calmest way to travel in festival week.
- Search from the bigger city nearby. A ride from Delhi to Lucknow can pass close to where you live. Tezzo matches rides whose route passes near your starting point and your destination, and shows how far the route passes from you, so you know before you book.
- Set seats needed to the number of people travelling with you, so you only see rides that can take all of you.
No ride yet? Set an alert
If your search comes back empty, tap Create a ride alert. When a driver publishes a ride on that route, Tezzo tells you by notification and email. In festival week, rides appear every day, so an alert often finds a seat a search on Monday could not. Keep notifications on for Tezzo so you hear in time.
Book, then talk to the driver
Some drivers confirm bookings instantly; others look at each request and accept it themselves. Either way, the seat price you see before booking is the price you pay. Tezzo adds no fee on top.
Once you have booked, use the chat on your booking to settle the details:
- Luggage. Festival bags are big: sweets, gifts, sometimes a whole suitcase. Tell the driver what you are carrying.
- Pickup point. Agree on a spot that is easy to reach, like a metro station or a petrol pump on the highway.
- Payment. You pay the driver directly, in cash or by UPI. Agree which one in the chat. Never pay in advance; pay when you travel. If someone asks for money before the trip, report them from the app.
If the details do not suit you, you can cancel the booking from your Bookings tab, so the seat goes to someone else.
Plan the way back now
Getting back after Diwali is as hard as getting home. Search for your return ride at the same time, using the same tips: try a day either side, and set an alert if nothing is there yet.
If you are the one driving, publishing the return trip is one tap: after you publish a ride, choose Publish the return ride, and Tezzo fills in the reverse route for you to pick a date and time.
Driving home? Fill your empty seats
If you are driving home anyway, passengers can share the cost of the fuel and tolls. Publish your ride as early as you can, because passengers are searching early too. Share it on WhatsApp with the poster Tezzo makes for each ride, so friends and family groups on your route see it. Our driver's guide covers setting a fair seat price, and the fuel cost calculator works out each person's share.
Stay safe in the rush
Festival week is busy, and busy is when people skip checks. Take a minute for the basics:
- Check the driver's profile, rating and experience level on the ride page before you book.
- Women travelling alone can look for women-only rides, which women drivers keep for women passengers.
- During the ride, the SOS button lets you call 112, call your emergency contact, or share your trip details.
Our carpool safety guide has the full list.
Happy Diwali
A shared ride home means fewer cars on the road, a lower cost for everyone in the car, and sometimes a good conversation for six hours on the highway. Search for your ride and get home in time for the lights.