KOCHI: A public bicycle-sharing scheme to promote non-motorised transport will be launched in the city on Saturday. As part of this, bicycles will be made available to the public at 35 primary hubs set up at 21 Kochi Metro Stations (from Aluva to Petta) and secondary hubs at landmarks like Panampilly Nagar, Avenue Center Hotel and CUSAT School of Engineering. Customers have the option of choosing from three price plans — hourly, weekly and monthly.
The service is offered by Ahmedabad-headquartered public bicycle sharing (PBS) operator MYBYK with support from Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) and Cochin Smart City Mission Limited (CSML).
What sets the scheme apart from PBS initiatives elsewhere in the country is the option available to users to rent the bike and keep the bike with them at home or office. To use MYBYK, a user has to first download the MYBYK app from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
In the initial phase, 300 cycles are provided at the 35 hubs. Another 700 cycles and 65 new hubs will be made available in the next couple of months. “We are glad to launch our services in Kochi where people are genuinely exploring alternative transportation on account of the rising petrol prices as well as problems related to traffic, parking and congestion. The partnership with KMRL and CSML will mean that users can now cycle not only for short distances, but also long commutes by connecting with Kochi Metro,” said Arjit Soni, CEO of MYBYK. He said the expansion to Kochi underscores the company’s commitment to redefine the public mobility landscape through affordability, reliability, and convenience. “We aim to set new benchmarks for sustainable transportation through this,” he added.
The KMRL authorities said that they are confident that the Public Bike Sharing (PBS) scheme will be well received by Kochiites and that there will be a consequent increase in the number of people switching to public transport. “KMRL has always been at the forefront of customer-friendly initiatives. The PBS project has been initiated jointly by KMRL and CSML to address the problem of first and last-mile connectivity faced by metro riders, thereby making Kochi Metro more accessible and convenient. Eventually, the service will be connected to other modes of public transport,” they added.