Cycle rentals show way to plug last-mile link

NEW DELHI : While the 17 cycle stands in Delhi crave users, the demand for three such shelters at Vishwavidyalaya, Jor Bagh and JLN Metro station has seen a significant jump.

The cycle shelter at Vishwavidyalaya Metro station remains busy providing last-mile connectivity to hundreds of students in Delhi University’s North Campus.

While one provides bikes on a rental basis where it has to be returned at the same stand, the second one lets users drop it at another shelter built outside Ramjas College which is shared by students of Hindu College, St. Stephen’s College, Kirori Mal College, Daulat Ram College and the Delhi School of Economics.

Reports with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation suggest that the cycle sharing system at Vishwavidyalaya station saw 9,458 trips till December from when it was launched in May last year. During the same time, the rental stand managed 770 trips.

Similarly, the cycle sharing scheme between Jor Bagh and JLN stadium stations, which also has a satellite point at India Habitat Centre, has recorded its highest ever ridership. These stands now have 400 registered users, an increase from 112 users who were registered before the sharing scheme was introduced. Its total trips also picked up to 20,853 in just a year.

However, experts say the public bicycle sharing system needs a push in order to plug the last mile connectivity, and promote clean environment and fitness.

“The rental system is mostly for recreational and tourism purpose as people need to return the cycles at the same point from where they pick them.The government should connect these shelters, so that users can leave the cycles near their destination,” says Atul Jain, founder, Delhi Cycles Private Limited that runs six stands in the city.

Greenolution, another service, lets people keep the bicycle for a month for ₹4,000. “We have 350 members under our ‘Own a cycle’ scheme, where they can even take cycles to their homes. Others have to pick and drop the cycle at the same stand,” says Virendra Chopra, co-founder.