Is the queue for autos too long during rush hour? Are rickshaw rides burning a hole in your pocket and are app cabs out of reckoning for five minute-long rides? What about a cycle on hire? You would pick it up from near your home and drop it off at your destination. It would be convenient, eco-friendly and at Rs 3 per half hour, dirt cheap. 

Pedl, a service by car rental company Zoomcar, has been renting out cycles in New Town since November 2017. They expanded to Sector V in May and are weeks away from launching in Salt Lake. “Calcutta has shown tremendous response to Pedl and is one of our best performing cities across the country along with Pune and Bangalore,” says Greg Moran, co-founder and CEO, Zoomcar. “We are keen to start operations in Salt Lake and should do so by July-end or the first half of August.”

How to use 

The service is simple. It begins by downloading the Zoomcar app, which shows you the cycle stands nearest to you. It also shows you how many cycles are available for hire there at the moment. 

At the stand, the user points the app scanner at a QR code sticker on the cycle and the bike “unlocks”. Otherwise a mechanism keeps the wheel spokes locked. The florescent green cycles have no horizontal bar connecting the back and front, making it easy for shorter users to mount. Taller users can raise the height of the seat. The bikes also come with a front basket to keep bags or other items. 

Once unlocked, riders have the cycle to themselves for as long as they want. If they ride to office, they can drop the bike off at the stand nearest to the office. If they ride to a cafe, they may lock the bike outside while they dine and continue riding it later. They can even ride out of the Pedl service area and come back. The Rs 3-per-half-hour payment is subtracted automatically through one’s Paytm account when one ends one’s ride. 

The custom-made bikes are made in India and abroad and have a life of 18-19 months. 

Availability 

Pedl had started in New Town last year with 100 cycles in 30 pick-up points, but this should expand to more than 2,000 cycles in 400 points by next month. New Town Bus Stand, TCS Gitanjali Park and Nazrul Tirtha are among the most popular stands.

In Salt Lake, there would be Pedl points at City Centre, Big Bazaar, the swimming pool, at bus stops, near Islands, block markets etc. “The keyword is density. Our vision is that a resident or commuter should have to walk a maximum of 100m to find a Pedl cycle,” says Moran. 

“We have been seeing five to six rides per cycle per day, which is high compared to the global average,” says Moran.

“Initially, we saw more joy rides but now almost 80 per cent rides are for commute.” 

The most active hours are 8-10am and 5-9pm. He says the cycles act as feeders to buses and shuttles, in that they help commuters reach them from their homes and offices. “We’ve not seen any dips in demand due to high temperatures, and even on rainy days. Only a couple of hours could be slightly affected.”

The cycles cannot be pre-booked but Moran says they are studying demand to and from various stands to ensure adequate supply everywhere round the clock. 

He also assures that fares would continue to be low. “Initially, we are looking to keep fares low and increase ridership. We are exploring alternative sources of revenue such as advertisement on the cycles.”

Safety 

Jayanta Singha, traffic inspector, New Town, says Pedl riders tend to obey traffic rules more than regular riders. “Regular cyclists get involved in accidents due to speeding, particularly when they hurry home in the evening.”

Singha adds: “Regular riders ply on the wrong side of the road and get on the main road instead of sticking to cycle lanes. But Pedl riders are educated and conscious. We have no reports of accidents with them.”

The Major Arterial Road in New Town has segregated cycle lanes, carved out of wide footpaths. “Roads in the interiors have non-segregated cycle lanes, where maybe traffic cones divide the street in two or cycles are painted on the left-most lane to demarcate it,” says Debashis Sen, chairman cum managing director of Hidco. 

“In Sector V, we are encouraging cycling on the Ring Road, that is a one-way stretch and so safer. We are also speaking to IIT Kharagpur for ways to relocate street-side food stalls to make way for bike lanes,” Sen adds.

As for the foray into Salt Lake, Moran considers the township safe for cycling with service lanes and the planned Island layout.

To help locate the bikes, they have a GPS device embedded in the cycle frame (powered by solar panels on the front basket). Even if anyone steals the bike and tries to tamper with the lock, Pedl would be able to trace its location. 

“More than 99 per cent cycles are returned at designated Pedl points but there were a few attempts made to steal them in the initial days. We tracked the stolen bikes to places as far as Bally, Park Circus and Topsia apart from New Town. We retrieved the bikes, although the thieves could not be caught,” says Moran.

Response 

According to an official, the company has been getting repeated requests from customers to start operations in Salt Lake. 

“Every neighbourhood has its own usage pattern but we don’t anticipate any major challenges in Salt Lake. We have experience of working in Sector V, which is completely commercial, as well as New Town, which is a mix of residential and commercial,” he says.

Smart phone penetration, Moran says, is extremely high in the twin townships and so residents and commuters here would exploit the service. “About 70 per cent of our users are in the 16-24 age group but we see a fair bit of representation till the age of 40 too,” says Moran. 

Have you used a bicycle on hire yet?
Write to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6 Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700001 or email to saltlake@abpmail.com