BENGALURU: Cycle sharing facilities at Metro stations have gained popularity as last-mile connectivity options. Another result of these cycles available for the public to use is that they serve suburban train users as well. Yulu Cycles, placed near four railway stations in Bengaluru, have inadvertently become first and last-mile connectivity solutions for IT professionals in the tech corridor. Amit Gupta, co-founder and CEO of nine-month-old dockless bicycle sharing startup Yulu, says their strategy was not to activate railway stations, but specific pincodes (areas) in the city. However, they now find a growing population of users being train commuters.
“In the last few months, we find about 150 to 200 customers utilising our QR code-enabled cycles to go to office from the railway station and back every day. This is in tandem with train timings at Bellandur, Carmelaram, KR puram and Hoodi Railway Stations,” Amit says, adding that their aim has always been to solve short distance connectivity under five kilometres during peak office timings.
“We started to get tweets and emails from suburban rail users asking for more cycles. We did not know how many people were using the trains and how critical the traffic situation is for them. Getting your car out in the mess in Whitefield, finding parking near Metro, bus or railway stations are hassles anyone would want to avoid. We wanted to make their travel more efficient. There is no point in us spending Rs100 for an auto or cab to the railway station and then take a train for Rs10,” he adds.
While the startup was unable to get permission for parking on railway station premises, they rented public spaces nearby and employed an operator to oversee the operations. About 50 cycles are available near each of the above railway stations.
Rail enthusiast Suhas Narayan Murthy, says, “I have seen people running to use cycles after getting off the train, especially women. These cycle sharing services make a lot of sense if tech parks are close by to railway stations, as seen with Carmelaram and Bellandur. Bellandur Road Station is around two kilometres from the Mahadevapura ORR. Companies such as Adobe, Cisco, SanDisk, Sony, JP Morgan, Flipkart, Cessna Tech Park and Prestige Tech Park are nearby.”
“As for Carmelaram Station, tech parks such as Wipro, Intel, Capgemini, SAP, Accenture, Eco World, Eco Space, Global Tech Park and others are within cycling distance,” Suhas says, adding,”When BMRCL can get Scooty Peps parked near Metros, the least Indian Railways can do is make parking arrangement for cycles so train users can take them to get to work. The roads near some of these stations are too small for buses and four wheelers.”
Amit shares that owing to the patronage, Yulu will expand to areas such as Electronic city, JP Nagar, Jayanagar, Bannerghatta and also near railway stations such as Yelahanka, Yeshwanthpur and Banaswadi.
Rs 10 for half an hour
The cycles can be rented for Rs10 per half hour. Regular suburban train users, who also use Yulu cycles, subscribe to monthly packs where 60 rides cost Rs 300.