BENGALURU: Citizens may find it convenient to use app-based bike rental services, but they are also discovering that parking the two-wheeler according to their convenience is a strict non-no in the city.
Violation of parking rules by customers, who dock their hired two-wheelers on footpaths, or outside residential gates and other non-designated spots, has forced companies like Yulu and Bounce to levy fines on them. And the move has already showed marked results over the last few months.
Imposing penalties has caused a drastic fall in the number of violations by users, according to the startups that run QR code-based cycles and two-wheelers services that aim to provide first and last mile connectivity. Yulu, for instance, recorded the incidence of parking violation falling from over 9,000 in November 2018 to just 1,740 in April.
When Yulu launched its cycles as part of the Public Bicycle Sharing system, users would drop the vehicle off anywhere after use, making it a logistical nightmare for the company’s staff, said Amit Gupta, the firm’s co-founder and CEO.
“To put it back to the designated parking zones was a cumbersome task for us, especially if people park it in their basements. Parking zones are the backbone of our service, as the next customer knows where to find it to plan their journey. For instance, only if they know the cycles will be at the Metro station every day will they come to rely on it,” Gupta said, adding, “Citizens would also complain about their gate being blocked, or blocking of traffic on the roads.” The company decided to levy penalties on errant customers in November.
Now, Yulu users cannot end the trip unless they park it at the designated Yulu zone. The metre continues running and they are charged for non-compliance. If they still park 75-100 metres outside the marked zone, they are fined `25 for the first couple of violations. The fines increase later on to Rs 50, Rs 100 and so on.
“The amount is deducted from their deposit. It is usually new users who are unaware of the zones. Once they are fined, they do not repeat the same action,” Gupta added.
Another bike rental firm in the city, Bounce, fines the customer the same amount as that levied by Bengaluru Traffic Police for different categories of violations.
“For instance, if the user leaves a cycle on the main road where there is heavy traffic flow, we send them a warning. They are penalised on the second offence,” Shamanth H, head of market acquisition, said, declining to share the number of violations recorded by the company. Bounce started imposing fines in January.
The penalty amount gets added on to the next ride, which means, the user must pay the fine without which they will not be able to book their next ride.
“We are also coordinating with Directorate of Urban Land Transport and Metro. The next user must not struggle to access the bike because the previous one parked it inside a gated community. It should be considered public transport,” Shamanth said.