Shared bicycle system picking up steam in Kochi

People in the city and suburbs opt for them for exercise and short-distance trips

Shared bicycles being delivered to a house in Kochi. The bicycles are unisex models and come with height-adjustable seats enabling even children to use them.

Even as efforts are under way to extend bicycle docking kiosks to Infopark and other locales in the city suburbs, people hooked to their houses owing to the pandemic situation too are availing them under various rental schemes with a duration of up to three months.

That the bicycles are unisex models and come with height-adjustable seats help, since men, women, and even children can use them. That they can be locked manually and opened using smartphones (no key needed), considerably helps.

“Their demand is picking up after a lull, to operate last-mile trips from metro stations and also on extended hire for months. People living in the city and even those from the suburbs are opting for them for exercise and also for short-distance trips,” said sources in MyByk, the start-up firm that was roped in earlier this year by Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) to introduce 1,000 shared bicycles in the Greater Kochi area.

The cycles, 800 of which have so far arrived in Kochi, are parked in 57 kiosks near Kochi metro stations and in other public spaces. A total of 150 kiosks have been envisaged, of which 33 more will be in the city soon. The approval of the Kochi Corporation is awaited for the list of spots identified for the kiosks. Of the rest, 60 bicycles will be based at 10 docks at Infopark, KMRL sources said.

The bicycles of robust build quality were procured using CSML funds, while the Kochi metro was the coordinating agency, including to establish kiosks beyond the metro corridor.

“That each cycle is GPS-enabled helps collate data and analyse aspects like location-specific and peak-demand timings. A goods autorickshaw is on duty all through day and night, to redeploy them to areas where demand rises,” the sources added.

The hourly rent for cycles picked from public kiosks is as low as ₹2. The service can be utilised through an app-based platform, which will show the nearest terminal and also other terminals. There will be a refundable security deposit of ₹500 for all services, including door delivery under the daily / weekly / monthly rental scheme.