The cycles for the public bicycle sharing (PBS) project have started arriving in the city. Easy to book, low cost and no pollution are the main objectives of the city-wide PBS project, which would be ready to roll very soon.
While Hexi Bikes, a product of Hero Cycles, will have 1,000 cycles under the PBS, Yaana and Yulu will have 500 each. The PBS would also ensure a healthy alternative to the city residents and also a possible green mode of transport for the visitors coming to the city for travelling.
What is unique about the bikes is that the ones used in the PBS system shall be of low-frame structure so that women wearing ‘sarees’ can also ride them. Adjustable seat height will make the bike easy to use by majority age groups like kids and students.
The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) has awarded the tender to the three respective companies i.e. Hexi Bikes (1,000 numbers) and Yaana and Yulu Bikes (500 numbers) each. PBS expert with BSCL Anuj Malhotra informed, "Generally cities make the mistake of keeping the bike stations only at major destinations or junctions.
In case of Bhubaneswar, a dense network of stations is planned and is being implemented.”
The Mobile App will also include provisions for online payment based on usage. The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT), an SPV to manage urban transport in and around the city, and BSCL are also developing bike stations across the city, integrated with Bus Queue Shelters (BQS) to provide common infrastructure for the multi-operator model.
All the deployment and implementations will be completed before Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup-2018.
The docking stations for cycles would cover all areas including heritage area and Info City.