Chennai: How about driving a car from Metro Rail station? Yes, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd (CMRL) has introduced self-drive cars at Thirumangalam Metro station.
Speaking to News Today, a CMRL spokesperson said, “The self-driven cars have been commissioned in association with Zoomcar as a pilot project at Thirumangalam Metro station. As of now, over 15 cars have been parked at the station’s parking area near GRT entrance making the process easier for passengers. Commuters can now drive off any of these cars after they get down at the station. The low tariffs and hassle-free usage philosophy of these cars will be of great advantage for commuters.”
“Each of these cars is tech-driven and fitted with GPS to ensure tracking and safety of passengers. The process of booking is also simple. Commuters can just log on to www.zoomcar.com or download the Zoomcar mobile app, select a car of their choice at Thirumangalam Metro location and book it. The security deposit charged for any car is just Rs 5,000, apart from submitting necessary documents and there are wide range of cars available from Ford Figo to Tata Hexa. The cars can be booked on hourly, daily or weekly basis. Flexible packages are also offered depending on the distances travelled including with / without fuel option,” he added.
In February this year, CMRL introduced motorcycles not only at Thirumangalam but also at Airport station. At these two stations, passengers can opt for any motorcycle / scooter – TVS Scooty Pep to Harley Davidson Street 750.
The initiative was started in association with SFA Bikes. They are charged just a refundable deposit of Rs 2,000. Metro users can drive for two hours up to 25 km or for a day up to 100 km. For every additional km, they will be charged Rs 5.
| Crossing one lakh mark |
| * A few months ago, CMRL achieved a big milestone wherein its bicycle and e-bike trips crossed one lakh. * CMRL registered 1,01,530 trips by June this year. There are three ventures in this area since last year. * CMRL’s own bicycle scheme was introduced from January 2017 at 12 metro stations. * Secondly, a GPS enabled bicycle scheme by PEDL (Zoomcar) was introduced from October 2017 at three Metro stations. * Thirdly, 100 hours free-bicycle-ride scheme by Athi’s Cycles was introduced from October 2017 at six Metro stations. * A total of 50,500 trips have been availed through CMRL’s bicycle scheme, 36,450 through PEDL and 14,580 through Athi’s Cycles scheme. |