Dockless bikes to connect Electronics City soon

Electronics City is on the verge of a massive cycling makeover to connect the last-mile between offices and homes.

A thousand bicycles (dockless bikes) will be pressed into service over the next three months to help IT employees and students there to commute seamlessly.

As a first step, the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) and smart bike-sharing provider, Yulu Bikes, on Thursday launched 200 bikes. ELCITA has painted 20 zones as docking stations, where the bicycles will be parked.

So, how does one book and ride one of these bikes? Users will have to first download the Yulu app and make a payment online using their bank account. The app will help them find the nearest bicycle, and unlock it using a QR code.

Cost breakup

How much does it cost? “The first half-hour will cost Rs 10, and Rs 5 for every subsequent half-hours. However, the users will not be levied any pause charge if the bike is parked at home from 6 pm to 9 am. The metre will start only after 9 am,” explains Yulu Bikes CEO Amit Gupta.

To promote wider usage, Yulu has also introduced a monthly package of Rs 300 for 60 rides. Many users in Indiranagar, Koramangala, Outer Ring Road, Old Madras Road and Whitefield are already using this package, says Gupta. Dockless bike-sharing is expected to make a big difference to how IT employees and students commute in Electronics City. “Several apartments and residential localities have mushroomed in the erstwhile villages surrounding Electronics City. So have cars and motorcycles. People here are really fed up with the traffic. Cycling to office is a very good alternative now,” ELCITA chief executive officer Rama N S explained to DH.

For students

Schools and colleges have also sprung up all around Electronics City, spurring the growth of hostels and paying guest accommodations. “Dockless bike-sharing can help students traverse these short distances in the range of 5-10 km. Once the metro reaches Electronics City, this will also be a good last-mile connectivity option,” says Rama.

Sensing the huge potential for growth, Gupta notes that Electronics City could easily take 5,000 to 10,000 bikes in the next two years. “We will study the usage pattern before deploying more bikes. The trend here could be similar to the rest of the city, where we have 4k bikes in operation now,” he adds.