Safety of cyclists: PMC’s bicycle department plans insurance for riders
The move comes after the recent accident involving Saurabh Rao, PMC commissioner’s son, who was injured in a road mishap while riding a bicycle.
The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) bicycle department is planning to introduce an insurance scheme for bicycle riders. The move comes after the recent accident involving Saurabh Rao, PMC commissioner’s son, who was injured in a road mishap while riding a bicycle.
“We are trying to sort out the modalities of how the insurance plan will be,” said Narendra Salunkhe, superintendent engineer, PMC bicycle department. PMC is keen on its four bicycle sharing operators including insurance in their agreements.
Salunkhe was speaking at the launch of Mobike, the fourth player to join the Pune bicycle sharing plan. “We are planning to meet the operators, starting with Mobike next week, to discuss third-party insurance for the rider of the bicycle,” added Salunkhe.
In five months, the city has witnessed four fatal accidents involving bicycle riders.
Hindustan Times had on May 18 reported that the recent accident involving Rao’s nine-year-old son has brought to fore safety issues of cyclists at a time when the Pune Smart City’s bicycle sharing programme is getting enthusiastic response. There are around 2,500 bicycles with a running rate of five rides per cycle in the city.
Mobike claims to be the world’s first and largest smart bicycle sharing company, which was founded by Hu Wei Wei in China in 2016. Mobike launched its services in Kothrud’s Karishma society and Karve road. “We have identified 99 spots within this area and are using Internet of Things (IoT). We are happy to state that we have received a tremendous response,” said Vibhor Jain, India CEO, Mobike. The bicycles are designed with smart technology based on customer feedback. It has 30 patents. The bicycle weighs 22 kg is made of aluminium, has disk brakes and advanced shaft drive transmission and airless, puncture-free tires.
Salunkhe, while welcoming this company, said, “We are happy to have Mobike as a player in the bicycle sharing plan, this will give boost to our plan to cover as many roads as possible across the city. There have been 25 bikes which have been reported in vandalism cases and we are working on curbing it.”