Last-mile connectivity is among the common complaints heard from users of Namma Metro, which sees nearly four lakh commuters daily. With the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) feeder bus service not available from all stations, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has now decided to relaunch the bike-sharing initiative to address this problem. ‘Metro Bikes’ will be in operation from January 10 at 33 stations.
Metro Bikes were launched earlier in June 2016, enabling metro users to hire a two-wheeler to reach their destination. However, because of low ridership, operations were stopped at all stations except Baiyapanahalli.
BMRCL spokesman U.A. Vasanth Rao said, “One of the problems that was seen was the lack of first-mile and last-mile connectivity. The idea was to give people a choice of transportation to ensure convenience. Though there is availability of car services and autorickshaws, we wanted people to have a scooter service as well to cover short distances.”
Vivekananda Hallekere, CEO and co-founder of Metro Bikes, said, “Through this service, people have the freedom to pick up and drop off the vehicle at their destination. The problem with the bus service is that there is no surety of frequency, and flexibility is also compromised. People would want more options, especially cost-sensitive users. Our vehicles come at a cost of ₹5 per km and 50 paise per minute.”
The new initiative has received mixed reactions from commuters. “My college is a short distance from the metro station but it is either time-consuming or expensive to reach there. Cabs are expensive and there are long waiting periods for cab pick up. The bikes seem like a good idea. The waiting period and cost is minimised since you are riding the scooter yourself,” said Vishal Phadtare, a commuter.
But Vijaya Sen, another commuter, said, “What if they run short of bikes? Also, this will only increase the traffic.”
Pawan Mulukutla, head of Integrated Transport, World Resources Institute, said, “The future of mobility is public-private transport. While the BMTC is the backbone of public transport, there are some places that are not completely accessible by bus. At the same time, Metro Bikes is looking at people who can ride scooters; but what about those who can’t? People need to choose from what is comfortable and affordable, and what works for them to reduce the last-mile connectivity problem.”
