New Town has reason to cheer! Days before World Bicycle Day on June 3, the cycle-sharing app that operates there claims the township books the highest number of rides among all the cities it operates in.

Chartered Bike is a cycle-sharing app that allows users to pick up a cycle from a designated stand, ride it, and return it at the stand nearest to their destination. The Ahmedabad-based company also operates in cities such as Prayagraj, Bhopal, Ranchi, and Surat, but it is New Town that consistently leads in usage.

“As per our latest figures, in the week ending May 18, New Town recorded a total of 2,563 rides. This was the highest among all the cities we operate in,” says Souptick Mukherjee, city manager of Chartered Bike.

Round the clock

Chartered Bike began services here in 2020 with 100 bicycles and five docking stations. It has since grown to some 300 bicycles across 23 stands. “Our most popular stations are near Biswa Bangla Gate, Swapnobhor senior citizens’ park, Eco Urban Village, near Reliance Fresh in Action Area I, New Town bus terminus, and beside Ohio Hospital,” says Mukherjee.

Often an imbalance arises when too many cycles are returned to certain stands while others are left empty. To address this, the company deploys staff twice a day to redistribute the cycles evenly.

One reason for the service’s popularity in New Town is the presence of multiple tourist attractions. “Every day we receive 25 to 30 new riders who may use the service only once. These are usually visitors to Eco Park or guests staying in nearby hotels. They’ve heard about this unique bike service in the smart city and download the app for a joy ride,” says Mukherjee.

The service operates 24x7, with users throughout the day and night. “From 4am to 8am, our users are mostly senior citizens cycling for exercise. Between 8am and noon, students and office-goers make up the majority. From noon to 4pm, vendors and many daily wage-earning women use the service,” Mukherjee explains.

“Between 4pm and 7pm, children and youths use the bikes for recreation, or commuters ride home from work.”

Between 7pm and midnight, it’s typically joy rides and though usage is lowest between midnight and 4am, this is the time the cycles are most vulnerable. “Although designed for a single rider, couples or even groups of three use them at late hours, leading to damage,” he adds.

Not beyond vandalism

“While New Town records the highest usage of the bikes, it also sees the highest levels of vandalism, particularly on our e-bikes,” Mukherjee explains. “These electric bikes require no pedalling effort and run on battery charge, but due to rampant theft and vandalism, we have had to take them off the roads for the time being.”

Some throw the bikes into ponds to disable the inbuilt GPS and steal them. “Sometimes users refuse to return the bikes even after we track them down. We make three attempts to recover such bikes ourselves, after which we lodge FIRs with the police,” he says. “Vandalism had peaked in 2023–24. The perpetrators aren’t usually daily commuters. They hail from surrounding rural areas,” Mukherjee says.

Last week, a female rider rang their helpline at 1.30am, saying she was unable to find transport to her home at Siddha Pines near Chinar Park, which lies beyond their coverage. “She requested to take the cycle home for her own safety, and we gladly agreed. Our team collected the cycle from her home the next morning,” he says.

While this was a one-off case, there are some riders who habitually take the bikes home, knowing the company will retrieve them the next day. “They simply do not want to make the effort of docking them at the stations. But then there are others who inform us and retain the bikes for up to three days, paying the full rental,” Mukherjee says.

Rental charges for the cycles are as follows — the first 30 minutes cost Rs 1.18; the next 31 to 59 minutes cost Rs 5.90. Various slabs are used thereafter. If a customer uses the bike for 16 to 24 hours he will be charge Rs 826 and for more than 24 it will cost Rs 5,900. While signing up for the app, one has to transfer Rs 300 into their account, from which the above ride fees get deducted as and when availed.

Another challenge is that of private cycles being parked at Chartered Bike stands. “These docking stations have been built specifically for our cycles, but people often use them to park their personal bikes. We’ve put up warning notices and even deflated their tyres, but some owners become hostile, claiming their right to park as locals. We are working on solutions to this,” says Mukherjee.

Future plans

At present, the docking stations cover 40km within New Town, but riders frequently take them into all five sectors of Salt Lake, as well as Kestopur and Baguiati. “We are planning to set up more stands near Sukhobrishti, Eco Space, Gitanjali Park, and Nazrul Tirtha, and are in talks with the Newtown Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) regarding this,” Mukherjee says.

Salt Lake and Sector V are important markets for the service too, and after September they may consider opening stations there. “Cycles are eco-friendly, sustainable, and we are happy to offer this service. We only ask that customers treat the bicycles with care,” Mukherjee concludes.