To promote an alternate way of travel, Chandigarh Smart City Ltd (CSCL) plans to provide 100 cycles that will be rented out at 10 select locations across the UT by September-end.
The 100 cycles will be provided under the ‘India Cycles4Change’ Challenge and not the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) Project, which is also being undertaken by the CSCL and will be launched in November.
CSCL chief general manager NP Sharma said, “Though our deadline is October 15, we will hopefully be able to offer these cycles on rent to residents by the end of this month (September). We have zeroed in on locations that have a high footfall, where there will be a demand for cycles,” said Sharma.
The cycles will be made available at the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Sector 43; Sukhna Lake, Sector 17; Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16; Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Sector 12; Sector-22 mobile market; Panjab University, Sector 14; and the Sector-34 market.
“Dock stations that are being installed for the PBS project have been chosen for the project,” said Sharma. The firm implementing the PBS project will also provide 100 cycles for the IndiaCycles4Change challenge. The firm will be allowed to charge rent for the cycles but it has not been permitted to advertise at the dock stations.
{{/usCountry}}“Dock stations that are being installed for the PBS project have been chosen for the project,” said Sharma. The firm implementing the PBS project will also provide 100 cycles for the IndiaCycles4Change challenge. The firm will be allowed to charge rent for the cycles but it has not been permitted to advertise at the dock stations.
{{/usCountry}}Chandigarh is one of the 95 cities to have registered for the India Cycles4Change challenge, an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission. The challenge aims to encourage cities to implement cycling-friendly initiatives in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
600 CYCLES TO BE MADE AVAILABLE AT 60 DOCK STATIONS COME NOVEMBER
Under the PBS project, 600 cycles will be made available at 60 dock stations across the city. The project is expected to be completed by June 2021, after which 5,000 cycles will be rented out at an hourly basis at 617 dock stations.
The firm implementing the project on CSCL’s behalf will execute it in multiple phases over the course of the next 18 months. Both manual and e-cycles will be available at dock stations.
“Under the PBS, 1,250 cycles will be made available by April 2021; 3,750 cycles will be made available over the next nine months with 1,250 cycles added every three quarters,” said Sharma.
Cycles at the dock station will be unlocked and released for use through a mobile application and cycles will be installed with Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers to avoid theft.
There will be two sets of rates for members and non-members. The rates will be ₹10 per hour for non-members and ₹5 for members. The annual membership fee will be ₹200.