There is no single best way to travel between cities in India. A train is hard to beat when you have a confirmed berth, a cab is unbeatable when you need to leave at 3 am with four suitcases, and a bus is everywhere. A shared car, or carpool, fills the gaps between them.
Here is how they compare, so you can pick the right one for each trip.
The short answer
- Carpool: you pay for one seat; it leaves when the driver is going; it often drops you close, depending on the route; book days ahead or the same day. Best for medium distances, festival weeks and routes the trains miss.
- Bus: one seat; a fixed timetable; bus stand to bus stand; usually easy to book. Best for short hops between many towns.
- Train: one berth or seat; a fixed timetable; station to station; weeks ahead on busy routes. Best for long distances and overnight travel.
- Cab: you pay for the whole car; it leaves when you want; door to door; any time. Best for groups, odd hours and heavy luggage.
Cost: how a shared car adds up
A cab charges for the whole car, a driver's time and a profit. In a carpool, the driver is making the trip anyway and only shares the cost of fuel and tolls, split across the seats. That is why a seat in a shared car usually costs a fraction of a cab.
You can work it out for any trip:
- Fuel: distance in km divided by the car's mileage in km per litre, times the price of a litre.
- Tolls: the toll plazas on the route, one way.
- Divide by everyone in the car, driver included.
For example, with made-up round numbers: a 300 km trip in a car that does 15 km per litre uses 20 litres; at ₹100 a litre that is ₹2,000, plus ₹400 of tolls, so ₹2,400. Shared by four people, each share is ₹600. Your real numbers will be different; the fuel cost calculator does the sums for your route, and our guide to splitting fuel and toll costs explains the details.
On Tezzo the driver sets the seat price, and the app suggests one that covers fuel and tolls for the route. Tezzo adds no fee and takes no commission. You pay the driver directly, in cash or by UPI.
Timing and flexibility
- Train: the most comfortable over long distances, if you booked early. On busy routes and festival weeks, waitlists are the problem.
- Bus: frequent and easy to book, but stops often, and fares can jump in peak weeks.
- Cab: leaves exactly when you want, at the highest price.
- Carpool: leaves when a driver is going, often on the days and hours people actually travel: Friday evening, Sunday afternoon, the day before a festival. If nothing fits yet, a ride alert tells you when one is published.
Comfort and company
A car is quieter and faster than most buses, with fewer stops. You also travel with people: usually pleasant, sometimes the start of a regular travel partner. If that matters to you, read the driver's profile, rating and experience level before you book, and use the chat to agree on luggage and the pickup point.
Safety
Each option has its own risks. For shared cars, the basics are: check the profile before booking, keep the conversation in the app, share your trip details with someone, and know where the SOS button is. Women travelling alone can choose women-only rides. Our carpool safety guide has the full list.
So which one?
- Long distance, booked early: take the train.
- Short hop between nearby towns: the bus is fine.
- Group, odd hour, lots of luggage: a cab may be worth it.
- Medium distance, trains full, or a route the trains miss: look for a shared car first.
Search for a ride on your route and compare. If you are driving, publish your empty seats and let passengers share the cost.