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Now, pick a bicycle for ₹10 to cruise around Chandigarh
UT rolls out the ambitious public bicycle sharing system, offering 225 bicycles at 25 docking stations in Phase 1
With the aim to encourage cycling as a last-mile connectivity option, the ambitious public bicycle sharing system was launched on Thursday.
Residents can now rent cycles to commute through the city by paying Rs 5 (member) and Rs 10 (non-member) for half an hour. Annual membership will also be available for Rs 500.
Users will be able to collect the bicycle and pay for it by registering on the mobile app, Smart Bike.
UT administrator VP Singh Badnore launched the first phase of the project from the docking station at Rock Garden.
The administrator emphasised that the project will not only reduce carbon footprint, but also help with reducing traffic congestion.
Badnore himself took a ride on a bicycle, along with other officials, from Rock Garden to Punjab Raj Bhawan.
While briefing about the pilot project, KK Yadav, MC commissioner-cum-CEO, Chandigarh Smart City Ltd, said the system comprised 25 docking stations spread across prominent locations in the city, such as Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake, high court, PGIMER, Sectors 17, 22, 34, 35 and 43, and 225 bicycles, including over 100 pedal assisted e-bikes.
The docking stations have been planned in consultation with the UT urban planning department, with each location carefully selected, keeping in mind traffic flow and mixing of traffic.
Yadav said in total, 5,000 bicycles will be provided in the city through a network of 617 docking stations. “This will make it India’s largest and densest public bike sharing network. The project will be developed in four phases of 1,250 cycles and 155 docking stations each, within a span of 18 months,” he added.
The commissioner said all bicycles were GPS-enabled and had locking facility, which will be monitored by the Command and Control Centre, having a 24x7 helpline.
This project is being implemented and operated by the concessionaire M/s Smart Bike Tech Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad, for 10 years on public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
He further said as Chandigarh was participating in India Cycle4Change Challenge, an initiative of the Smart Cities Mission, Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, with the launch of the public bike sharing system, UT’s prospects of winning had increased.
