Mysuru: With plans to introduce dockless Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) environment using Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled mobile app, the district administration has reintroduced unlimited free rides up to 30 minutes from February 1.
Disclosing the details, Deputy Commisioner D Randeep said, “With nearly 50 percent reduction in the use of Trin Trin bicycles here, the district administration has revised the user fee with unlimited free rides upto 30 minutes from February 1 to encourage people to use the PBS system”
The users were allowed unlimited free rides of up to one hour as an introductory offer after the PBS system was launched in June last year. The ridership of Trin Trin, which had crossed 1,000 per day, came down to around 500 per day, after the authorities began collecting user fee from the members after the first free ride of the day from December 1, 2017.
Deputy Commissioner D Randeep said the existing user fee of Rs 5 after first free ride up to 60 minutes or 1 hour was revised with unlimited free rides upto 30 minutes and Rs 5 from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Justifying the decision to reintroduce free rides, Randeep said, “We had more users in the first slab, so we have decided to go back to the old rates. A free ride for first hour is followed around the world.”
Currently there are 5,000 bicycles, 52 docking stations and 8,250 registered members in the first eight months. The district administration plans to introduce 13 more docking stations. Mysuru-based enterprise Green Wheel Ride Project Manager Mahesh H S said bicycle users have reduced from 1,200 to 650 in a few months. On an average, around 800-900 people use these bicycles.
On providing digital touch to PBS, “The bicycle will be locked and unlocked through a locking system which will be operated by a mobile app on GPS remote locking system. The users have to park vehicles inside the geo-fencing areas which will be marked in different locations instead of docking stations. This will reduce the infrastructure cost and also help track vehicle theft”, Randeep explained
Mysuru-based enterprise Green Wheel Ride Project Manager Mahesh H S said they also plan to introduce 50 dockless stations and introduce electric bicycles along with pedal bicycles. “Gradual improvement in features and technology will be an ongoing process”, he added.
