NKDA's cycle-sharing scheme bags award

Kolkata: The cycle-sharing scheme introduced by the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) in New Town, has bagged the best award announced by Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the Urban Transport Category.

Debapriya Biswas, Chief Executive Officer of NKDA, received the award at a function in Delhi on Wednesday. The scheme is the only one of its kind in the country.

As a part of the theme of Green City Mission to enhance last mile connectivity and to reduce air pollution (from automobile fumes), NKDA had planned to introduce the public bicycle-sharing scheme in New Town.

This type of public bicycle-sharing scheme is functional and popular in different parts of the globe, i.e. in Europe, China and South-East Asia.

Zoomcar India Pvt. Ltd has been selected through EOI to run the scheme, by introducing dockless, GPS enabled, tubeless bicycles with required security features on rental basis, while NKDA has allowed the parking locations of bicycles on payment of nominal fees. The EOI was not exclusive and any participant who qualified the technical criteria could have been selected.

Within a few months, these bicycles have become popular and the number of riders are on the rise, which has started to mitigate the problem of last mile connectivity and is also reducing air pollution, making the city greener.

The bicycles are used mostly in Action Area-I of New Town, Kolkata, where in some parts, separate cycle tracks have been constructed and separate cycle lanes have been demarcated.

The local police and traffic police have also been duly informed and involved. There are 400 cycles in New Town and 5,000 more will be launched by June 2018. Rides per day average around 2,000 to 2,200. The number of pick up points is 80, while the rate is Rs 3 for 30 minutes.

The cycles have app-based QR codes and solar-powered GPS enabled lock/unlock systems.

The payment is linked through Paytm wallet. The cycles have airless solid tires and are fitted with drum brakes for longevity and anti-slip chains.