JOIN USBicycles are back at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, as the institute has entered into an understanding with PEDL - a bicycle-sharing service of Zoomcar.
The service, launched on Thursday, will make available 100 smart bicycles on the campus for students and faculty.
The docking stations will be available at 24 locations such as the main gate, library, and administrative block around the 400-acre campus. In the coming weeks, more cycles will be added.
The PEDL cycles are technology-enabled. The smart locks on the cycles can be opened using a QR code from the mobile application and payments can be made through the digital wallet, Paytm. The cycles are charged at Rs 1 for 30 minutes. Users can pick up and drop the cycles at any designated location.
Even visitors to the institute may use the bicycles. There are several anti-theft mechanisms built into the cycles.
"We have a smart lock and anti-theft alarms. There is also live GPS tracking. If the cycle loses contact from the ground in its locked state, an alert will be sent to the ground team," said Rakshak Naik, head of marketing.
According to Naik, the idea is to eventually make the campus non-motorised.
"The institute used to have cycles before. But there were many reasons why it did not work. Those were not smart cycles and there were no smart locks. The PEDL system adds convenience and is technology-enabled," he said.
Speaking on the launch, Dr Ashish Verma, head of the civil engineering department and transportation lab, said: "Our transportation engineering lab at the IISc intends to work closely with the institute as well as with relevant stakeholders in Bengaluru and other Indian cities to scientifically plan and operate such cycle sharing systems and other measures to promote sustainable transport."
In Bengaluru, PEDL docking stations are already available in Koramangala and HSR Layout and they intend to introduce the service in more locations soon.