NEW DELHI: In order to popularise the use of cycling, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), managing Lutyen’s Delhi, inaugurated 50 bike stations under its jurisdiction. The project is part of the government’s Smart City initiative.“The New Delhi Municipal Council is geared up to change the lifestyle of Delhiites by adopting cycling to bridge the gap of last-mile-connectivity and reduce the pollution along with a step towards improving fitness,” said Naresh Kumar, Chairman, NDMC.
“As many as 300 smart bikes already been put to public use at 50 stations, spread across the New Delhi area and 200 additional smart bikes are to be added to the fleet by the end of December,” Kumar added. According to the civic officials, people who wish to avail the service can register on the NDMC mobile app “NDMC-311”.
After registration, cyclists can use a touchpad on the back of the cycle to unlock the cycle through OTP. This app-based system records the time when the bike is unlocked and charges the user accordingly. Smart Bike, a start-up company, is of German origin with state-of-the-art features, excellent app and user-friendly tariff, said the officials. The company has its assembly plant in Hyderabad and planning to set up another one in Delhi.
“It is gratifying to note the excellent response to Smart Bike in New Delhi, since its soft launch last month with thousands of Delhiites taking memberships and using Smart Bike. NDMC is doing remarkable work in this area under the many Smart City initiatives to make people of New Delhi area happy,” said D V Manohar, vice-president and treasurer of World Cycling Alliance.
The cycle-sharing facility will be available free of cost for the first half-an-hour ride for members and non-members `10 will be charged for a 30-minute ride. Subscription services will also be available with passes starting at `199 for a week. The facility will be available between 6 am to 10 pm only in the New Delhi area.