To the surprise of commuters in the city, Sports Minister K B Ganesh Kumar rode a bicycle at Palayam here on Tuesday morning. The function was the relaunch of Athi’s Bicycle Club (abc), the SMS-driven cycle club, in the city. The abc has turned fully automatic with the introduction of abc management software (AMS).
Ganesh Kumar said that he had come across such bicycle clubs during his visit to London during the Olympics. He expressed happiness over the working of the club in the city. Several volunteers of the club and students of Salvation Army HSS in Kowdiar joined Athirup, founder of abc, during the inaugural function.
Athirup said some of the users rang him up to express happiness over the relaunch of the facility. Introduced in the city in March 2011, abc has more than 1,000 users. The facility was a big hit in Kochi too. The software will manage tasks like changing of number locks, service and repair management, usage and availability management, bicycle redistribution among racks etc. Currently, abc has racks in Sasthamangalam, Vellayambalam, Kowdiar, Vazhuthacaud, Thampanoor, East Fort, Statue, Palayam, PMG, Pattom, Bakery Junction, Karamana and Jagathy.
Interested persons can join the club by sending an sms to Athirup at 964 55 111 55.