The number of rides undertaken using the public bicycle sharing system dropping to almost half in a two-year period, and downloads also witnessing a sharp six-fold dip cemented the city residents’ declining interest in the initiative.
Panchkula had in August 2019 taken the lead within tricity by starting the bicycle sharing system under the Smart City project. Inaugurated by Haryana chief Manohar Lal Khattar, the system received a massive response from residents — especially students.
The project had cost the civic body around ₹2 crore. An official said a dedicated team maintains the cycles and the monthly cost adds up to ₹3 lakh.
Such was the initial success of the initiative that Panchkula even helped Chandigarh set up its own bicycle sharing system. The interest, however, has been on a decline ever since the Covid pandemic hit.
The data shows that there was a huge demand for bicycles in the first 12 months of launch, with over 42,000 persons downloading the app and 1.86 lakh rides being taken. The next 12 months, during which the pandemic hit, the number of downloads and rides came down to 7,411 and 1.4 lakh amid on-and-off lockdoews.
Though the lockdown was lifted, the fear of using a public sharing system lingered on.
{{/usCountry}}Though the lockdown was lifted, the fear of using a public sharing system lingered on.
{{/usCountry}}Between August 2021 to August 2022 period, the number of downloads dipped further to 6,265 and only 88,000 rides were taken.
How it began
The civic body started the project with over 200 cycles at 20 bike stations. The residents, after registering on the mobile application by paying ₹100, have been pedalling around the city at the meagre ₹5 for half a km.
Presently, the cycles can be used for 14 hours every day between 6 am to 8 pm. Each cycle is equipped with global positioning system (GPS) tracking and one can use it by paying a minimal amount online. The app keeps a track of the distance covered by the rider.
Looking beyond
Speaking of the decline, executive engineer Sumit Malik said, “Covid induced lockdown was one of the main factors behind the dip in the number of users. Then because of hygiene issues, people started avoiding taking this public facility.”
“But it is still a hit among people, especially among students who find it easy to peddle around the city when they have to go to tuitions. We are now going to expand the project to trans-Ghaggar sectors and in villages,” he added.
Hoping to reignite the interest, mayor Kulbhushan Goyal discussed the expansion, saying, “The MC is coming up with 100 e-cycles and 100 e-bikes. People can get these from 20 stations, whose installation work has already begun. The best part is that these docks will be in villages and trans-ghaggar sectors.”
The ₹2.50 crore is expected to get rolling by October, with the 200 e-cycles and e-bikes being made available to the public.