KOCHI: How about enjoying the enticing beauty of Kochi on an e-bike? For the first time in city, a Goa-based startup has launched e-bike tourism aimed at providing people with an eco-friendly mode of transport to explore Kochi. Already popular in Goa, B:Live is looking to tap the tourism potential of Kochi which annually witnesses the highest number of tourist footfall in Kerala.B:Live currently provides guided e-bike rides in Goa, Puducherry, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat. “We are not just a bike-rental service. We are into tourism activities wherein people can visit a various estinations with our guide, on electric-bicycle. We conduct two rides in the morning and afternoon besides providing e-bikes, accompanied by a trained captain, meals at local restaurants, water and all safety gears,” said Samarath Kholkar, CEO and co-founder of B:Live.
Tourists can either use pedals or battery power automatic mode to ride the e-bike. Apart from Kochi, B:Live is also planning to introduce similar tours in Alappuzha, Kovalam and Kumarakom. Around 100 electric bikes will be brought to these destinations. Tours can be booked through B:Live website. “Currently, the pick-up point is at Taj Malabar hotel.
We cover around 14km of distance which takes around three hours. The tourist can visit Chinese fishing nets at Fort Kochi, European churches, Dutch palace and Jew town and spice market. A quick refreshment stop will be arranged at a heritage home in Mattanchery,” he said.As an introductory price, the tour is offered for `1500 per head. “We are planning to introduce pick-up points at Hotel Grand Hyatt and Fort Kochi. Out tour is focused to provide rich art,heritage, culture and cuisine of Kochi,” Sandeep Mukherjee COO and co-founder of B:Live said.
Samarath said it is mostly domestic tourist who use the e-bike tours in Goa and other states. “Around 70 per cent of our customers are domestic tourists. More than the business side, we also promote eco-friendly tourism and vehicles which helps in reducing pollution and carbon footprint generated by the conventional vehicles,” he said. State Responsible Tourism Mission Coordinator Rupesh Kumar appreciated the initiative. B:Live was started in 2018 when Samarth and Sandeep launched EV tourism in Goa. B:Live is a travel tech platform that offers immersive experiential tours powered by smart and savvy electric bikes.