Cycle sharing at IIT-M
Posted on: 19/Dec/2017 2:43:08 PM
Ahead of the cultural and tech fest program likely to take place at the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras soon, the institute is now testing a cycle-sharing model.
Most students find a need for overhauling their cycles after returning from holidays. There were mechanics to repair the cycles, but they couldn’t handle all of it, said the dean of students at IIT-M.
Later, the bike-sharing idea was pitched. On making a research in the web, they were lead to Torq. Torq is a company that utilizes GPS tracking system and QR code for unlocking cycles. The campus totally has 10,000 students and 8,000 faculties. However, not everyone would use cycles, said the hostel affairs secretary.
With the introduction of this new bike-sharing concept, the campus currently has three vendors which are Zoomcar, Torq and Ola providing 280 cycles on the whole. In January next year, the model will get reviewed. Following the review, a formal tender process will be done to expand the initiative further.
The senior manager of Zoomcar, Rushali Khandelwal said PEDL has got immense response. The daily bookings received is up to 100. This demand is mainly due to the ease of booking via Paytm and use of QR code for unlocking cycles.
Ideas of widening the plan
The city once had thriving market for bicycles. Later on, it was motorized 2-wheelers that started dominating. So, the idea of cycle sharing is pedaling slowly to take off.
With the success of this system in IIT-M, there are plans for PEDL to expand it across the city by joining hands with universities, IT parks, housing societies, and so on. Through PEDL Host process, they are currently in talks with these institutions. In cities including Bengaluru, Pune and Kolkata, PEDL is already well established.
To be a host, physical space has to be offered for which Zoomcar has a lot of offers in return.
