Love cycling but don’t have a bike? A cycle-sharing app, to be launched in New Town next week, will allow commuters to pick up a cycle from a spot, ride it around and return it when done. And the best part is that for the first half an hour, you can ride for free.
Chartered Bike, an Ahmedabad-based company, will start operations in our smart city from September 24. Firhad Hakim, minister of urban development and municipal affairs, will come down for the ceremony.
“New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) has built five cycle stands for the service and shall build more later,” said
Debashis Sen, chairman cum managing director of Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) and chairman of NKDA.
How to hitch a ride
To avail of the cycles one needs to download the “Chartered Bike” on the phone. Activate your account with a minimum of Rs 300. This sum will be a prepaid deposit and charges will be deducted from here whenever you use a bike.
The amount will have lifetime validity but in case a customer wishes, he can get his unused deposit refunded by writing an email to the company.
Where to get the cycles
The service is being launched with 100 cycles spread over five stations — New Town bus terminus, near Reliance Fresh, outside Axis Mall, Novotel and Dongfang Electric (near the Central Mall petrol pump).
“Our largest station will be at Axis Mall. There will be space for 40 bikes here plus an additional 20 racks for riders who may have come from different stations on their cycles,” says Araz Khan, project manager of Chartered Bikes.
The bikes will be “locked” at the stations but you can hire one with your app. Scan the QR code printed on the bike’s fender or frame lock and it will unlock. You can now take off.
Should you halt somewhere mid-way you can get off the bike and click “parking” on the app. You will have to manually turn a lever on the wheel to lock it. Once you return, click “unpark” on the app and continue riding.
When you want to return the bike you have to do so at any of the five stations and click “end ride”. The meter on your phone will stop ticking and the corresponding payment will be deducted from the amount you have deposited in your account.
First half hour free
“Normally the first half an hour would cost Rs 5 but we are allowing it free as an introductory offer for the first six months,” says Khan.
From the 31st to the 60th minute, the rider will be charged Rs 5 plus 18 per cent GST (Rs 5.9). From the 61st to 90th minute, it costs Rs 10 plus GST (Rs 11.8). Thereafter, every hour will be charged Rs 15 plus GST (Rs 17.7).
“The final slab is the most expensive as we want to discourage people from keeping the bikes with themselves for too long. That means others are deprived from availing the cycles,” says Khan.
A cycle stand in Bhopal operated by the same company. New Town will have five such stands Sourced by the Telegraph
E-cycles by year-end
Besides 100 cycles now, the company will be introducing 400 e-cycles in the coming months.
“An e-cycle runs on a battery that can be recharged like mobile phones,” explains Khan. “One doesn’t really need to learn riding an e-bike. One just starts pedalling and then stops as the vehicle moves automatically thereafter.”
The e-bikes would move at a maximum of 25km per hour. Neither would the rider need a licence to ride this nor would the vehicle need a registration number plate.
“The parking docks of these vehicles would double as charging stations and would start charging the moment a bike is returned by a rider. The fast chargers that would take an hour to charge completely. They would then travel 40km,” says Khan. Still, if a bike battery slows down mid-ride we have the pedal option. The rider can pedal the bike like a cycle to the nearest station and exchange his e-cycle for a fully charged one.”
The rates for the e-cycles have not been finalised but are likely to be Rs 5 to unlock and then Rs 15 per hour.
An e-cycle. The company will bring 400 such electrically charged two-wheelers by the year-end Telegraph picture
Penalty for vandals
The bikes are insured and so in case of any damage in an accident the rider need not pay anything. “But we will levy penalty of Rs 5,000 if someone wilfully damages the bike or keeps the bike for more than 24 hours,” Khan says. “No one would need the bike for that long and so if someone does keep it, he may be trying to steal it.”
The bikes have live GPS tracking and so the backend office would always know where it is. Any attempt to steal the bike would be thwarted. “Our staff would go for daily rounds to work on the bikes’ maintenance. If they find any vehicles missing action would be taken,” says Khan.
High hopes
Sen is optimistic about the e-cycles. “People love to ride but get weary if the journey is too long. E-bikes can be the solution.”
The authorities are working to increase cycle tracks in the township and talks are on to keep aside space for cycles at car parking lots too. There is 17km of cycle track now.
Another cycle rental service called Pedl had launched in New Town in 2017 and despite immense popularity, was discontinued. “Their financial model was not sustainable and their docking system wasn’t fool-proof, leading to theft and misuse,” observed Sen.
Chartered Bike is operational in Bhopal, Surat and Ranchi and Khan shares an anecdote from their Ranchi launch to show the faith he has in the residents of New Town. “A senior bureaucrat at the Ranchi launch had asked us to offer the cycles free of cost for the first week and we did so but it was a disaster,” he says.
“People took the bikes home and used it like their personal vehicles, depriving others the chance to use them. And others, who got angry and jealous, vandalised the bikes. Compared to that, people of New Town are very civilised. All our surveys indicate that. I’m sure residents here will patronise the bike service,” says Khan.
saltlake@abpmail.com