Students, faculty, staff and visitors at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) will find it more easy to cover the nearly 400-acre campus. They will be able to commute via e-rickshaws, a campus service that will be launched on Saturday.
Called Pick-E-Rick, the service will be introduced on five routes with a distance ranging from 1.94 km to 3.3 km. A total of 10 autos will ply on these routes, and will operate six days a week — from Monday to Saturday — between 8 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.
In a press release, IISc. stated that a flat fare of ₹5 will be charged from each person for a one-way trip. The fare can be paid only through digital mode via an app or e-wallets.
The institute had reached an MoU with Transvahan Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. for operating e-rickshaws on an ‘Own, Operate, and Maintain’ basis.
Students have welcomed the move.
“It is a really good initiative. Travelling from one end to other end of the campus is an issue. Depending on cycles all the time is tiring. This service will definitely help us,” said Varsha Vasudevan, a PhD student.
Last year, IISc. had carried out a three-day e-rickshaw trial during its Open Day when the general public is invited to watch experiments, scientific demonstrations, exhibitions and participate in events. The next edition of Open Day will be held on March 23.
A member of the staff at IISc. said that the campus is spread over 400 acres and has up to 8,000 people, including 4,600 students and 1,400 research students. In addition to this, hundreds of people visit IISc. every day. “This is a very cheap mode of transport. The routes link major buildings, departments, hostels and the library,” said the staffer.
