Chandigarh bike sharing project delayed once again

The bike sharing project was scheduled to start in April, but the firm was given a two-month extension after it missed the deadline; now, it is expected to start by July-end

The launch of the first phase of the public bicycle sharing project has been delayed once again. It was initially scheduled to start in April this year, but after the firm managing the project failed to comply with the deadline, the Chandigarh Smart City Limited (CSCL) gave it a two-month extension.

Till the project starts, residents can use public bicycles free of charge, which were made available under the cycle4change challenge. (HT FIle)

Now, it has again sought more time, citing logistic problems caused by Covid lockdown restrictions.

“The firm was facing logistics problems due to lockdown restrictions, which delayed the work. Now, we don’t expect it to be completed before July-end,” a senior CSCL official said.

“A major section of the project under the first phase is ready. But, there were some issues with availability and transportation of bicycle parts and other infrastructure. The firm’s consignment of parts was stuck between the manufacturing centre and assembling plant,” the official added.

Chief executive officer of the CSCL has even written a demi-official letter to the authorities of a southern state, requesting that the transportation of requisite parts from one state to another is allowed.

Using public bikes free, for now

In the meantime, residents can avail public bicycles free of charge, which were made available under the cycle4change challenge. The challenge ended on May 31, and thereafter, the CSCL had directed the firm to stop charging people. Earlier, ₹10 for an hour and ₹5 for half an hour was being charged.

Currently, 225 bicycles, including more than 100 pedal-assisted e-bikes, are available from 25 docking stations spread across the city.

The stations include prominent locations such as Rock Garden, high court, Sukhna Lake, PGIMER and Sectors 17, 22, 34, 35 and 43.

617 docking stations to be established

Under the CSCL’s project, 5,000 bicycles will be provided in the city along with a network of 617 docking stations, giving last mile connectivity to users. The size of the project will make it India’s largest and densest public bike sharing network.

The original deadline for the entire project was March 2022. But now, with the first phase delayed by atleast three months, the overall timeline is also likely to be delayed.

The project is being developed in four phases of 1,250 cycles and 155 docking stations each where pedal-assisted e-bikes with charging facility will be made available.

All bicycles will be GPS-enabled and be monitored from a command-and-control centre with 24X7 helpline facility.

The PBSS project is being implemented and operated by the concessionaire M/s Smart Bike Tech Private Limited, Hyderabad, for a period of 10 years on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.