New Town: Engineering student Momit Alam used to spend Rs 40 on his daily commute to college and back by e-rickshaw until he discovered a cheaper and more convenient, conscientious and cheerful mode of transport.

Momit has switched to PEDL, New Town’s newest transport option that borrows its business model and philosophy from app-based bicycle-share services in pedal-friendly cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Hangzhou.

Fluorescent green GPS-tracked bicycles on hire by the hour through a phone app are now an effervescent presence in the lanes of a fledgling township where finding the nearest stationery store might entail travelling three kilometres or more.

“PEDL is a no-brainer if you are in New Town and want to move around. I first used it to make a quick trip to Axis Mall from my office. The car remained parked while I cycled in my formals. So much fun!” said Anindya Sengupta, a senior executive in a global consulting firm.

Zoomcar, the self-drive car rental company, has tied up with the New Town Kolkata Development Authority to lend velocity to the PEDL revolution. A service that had been launched with 100 bicycles has already grown into a fleet of around 400.

PEDL offers bicycles from multiple pick-up and drop stations at Rs 2 an hour, less than a third of the cheapest bus ride. There is almost no manual intervention in the process of hire, use and return. Download a Zoomcar app on your phone, link a Paytm account to it and you are good to go.

Choosing the PEDL option on the app brings up a map showing the nearest renting station along with directions to it.
Using the app to scan the barcode on the rear mudguard gives the “select unlock” option. The bicycle’s rear-wheel lock opens automatically and the clock starts in the app.

Bicycles are currently kept at 60 stations across the three action areas, including near the Nazrul Tirtha crossing and in front of DLF Tower, Eco Park, Rabindra Tirtha and the Unitech bus stop. The stations are identifiable by bright signage and the image of a bicycle painted on the pavement.

The station near Mother’s Wax Museum is a high-volume one. Ganesh Chourasia, a BBA student, and his friend Zunifer Khan, downloaded the app and rented a bicycle each following the instructions on a nearby signboard. “We had not seen anything like this before,” said Zunifer, who went “exploring the road behind Eco Park”.

Trinayani Das, a resident of Sunrise Greens, is using PEDL to learn how to ride a bicycle.

PEDL bicycles have lightweight alloy frames, which make them easy to ride around. The gear system is a fixed one. The bicycles are equipped with smart locks that can be unlocked using a QR code. They also have GPS tracking, solar battery charging and built-in alarms on the lock fixed to the rear mudguard.

A multipurpose basket, a side stand and rear reflectors complete the kit.