Many Delhiites embraced the second phase of the odd-even scheme by using pedal power. Despite the sweltering heat, cycles were used almost 20 per cent more this time round than in the first phase of the scheme in January.
The scheme left Sudhir Haryal, owner of Planet Green Bikes, a happy man. After seeing his cycles gather dust for years, they are finally being taken out for rides; and the number of trips are only increasing. “Because of the weather, we did not expect the number of users to increase during odd-even 2.0. During the first phase in January, the number of cycle users had increased marginally by about 4-5 per cent. But, in the recent 15-day period, it saw an increase of over 15 per cent,” said Mr. Haryal.
Cycle stands near Jor Bagh Metro Station and India Habitat Centre witnessed a 47 per cent surge in its users during the recent scheme. “Between January 1 to 15, these stands recorded 571 trips, but during odd-even 2.0, they registered 837 trips. Although opened later, the station in Rohini area also saw a decent use with 55 trips during the period,” said Atul Jain, founder and director of Delhi Cycles Private Limited.
With 30-40 cycles being rented out daily, the stand near Mandi House Metro Station has been on top of the list for several months now. “The Mandi House cycle stand has the highest number of users. It is because of its proximity to colleges and several offices. Coming in second is the stand near Patel Chowk Metro Station,” said Mr. Haryal.
Talking of a feature he noticed primarily during the recent odd-even drive, Mr. Hayal said that a section of people have begun using cycles to go to nearby parks.
“The cycle stand near Siri Fort has a huge demand during early mornings and evenings. Later, we found out that people take the cycles to reach the DDA park nearby where they walk and exercise. On their way back home, they drop the cycles off,” he said.
With 14 cycle stands, Planet Green Bikes has the highest number of these facilities in the Capital, followed by Greenolution, which has seven stands. Recently, Delhi’s first “fully automated” cycle stand was also launched near Barakhamba Metro station.
