VIJAYAWADA: The McDonald’s outlet at Ramesh Hospitals signal on NH-16 is usually packed on Saturday evenings. Last weekend however, crowds were witnessed outside the shop too. Their object of fascination- around 40 yellow coloured bikes parked outside.
On further inquiry, it was learnt that the bikes belong to Lona, an electric-bike rental company which began services in the city on Saturday. "Within 24 hours of commencing operations, we have received nearly 100 bookings," said Lona’s marketing manager for Vijayawada, D Hemant.
The bike, with a top speed of 25 kmph runs on battery making them eco-friendly. The company currently has 40 bikes in its stable- located at two locations - Ramesh Hospitals signal on NH 16 and Aayush Hospitals near Novotel Vijayawada.
The company’s success in metropolitan areas has prompted it to set its eyes on smaller cities which aim to curb pollution at all costs. "Through thorough research and ground-level survey, we found Vijayawada to be a suitable avenue for commencing operations on a trial basis," said Hemant.
On questioned how to avail the service, he said one can download the booking app from Google Playstore or give a missed call to 04041892082. Once the ride is booked, the app displays the location of the bike parked nearest to the customer’s location so that they can pickup the bike from there. However, on completion of the ride the customer need not return the vehicle to its booking location.
"Our executives take the bikes from the place where the customers leave it if no bookings tale place within next two days. They will either drop it at a prime location or keep it wherever needed," the marketing manager said.
The rental service costs only 20 bucks an hour and can even be paused midway during the ride. Sometimes the customer might decide to book the vehicle for an entire day but refrain from using it at night. In such a situation, they can pause the ride during which the wheels are automatically locked. Once the service is resumed, wheels are unlocked.
This ensures vehicle safety and removes the risk of misuse by customers. The locking system is also in play whenever a ride ends and gets unlocked on re-booking. "The service is beneficial for senior citizens as it is light-weight and low-speed. There is no need to wait for anyone as they are easy to operate," opines 71-year-old Charanjeet Singh, a satisfied customer.
Based on the response, the company plans to introduce 1500 bikes by March next year. “Once we procure them, we will place them at 200 locations across the city. The bikes will be available at an interval of every 1.5 km," Hemant concluded.
