Buoyed by the success of cycle sharing schemes implemented by the Greater Chennai Corporation and CMRL in and around Anna Nagar, the GCC will launch this month a comprehensive system with 22 cycle hiring spots in Chennai.
The new and updated ‘Cycle Sharing System’ will have 220 cycles introduced here in the 22 hiring station.
Infrastructure work on the hiring stations are almost complete, Corporation officials said. This will make Anna Nagar the first neighbourhood in the State where one could pick up cycles by just walking a few hundred meter from wherever they are.
Why Anna Nagar?
“Anna Nagar has the highest number of Metro stations in the city (Shenoy Nagar, Anna Nagar East, Tower, and Thirumangalam) making it ideal for a cycle hiring system that will act as feeder services to Metro users. Moreover, Anna Nagar’s well planned layout, wide roads are perfect for ensuring the safety of cyclists,” said an official connected with the project.
The Corporation officials say that they were also encouraged by the reception to the app-based bicycle rental scheme introduced earlier in Thirumangalam, Anna Nagar East and Anna Nagar Tower Metro which is a big hit with Anna Nagar’s IAS aspirants who undergo coaching in the many training institutes in the locality.
With the neighbourhood growing to become a major commercial hub with tourists from across the State coming here, the GCC has planned to create short tourist circuits that can be accessed within a radius of few kilometres and can be connected via a network of cycle stations. It allows visitors and residents to know the city from a closer angle, said a case study document of GCC.
Fee
According to GCC, the fee for hiring a cycle would begin at a nominal rate of Rs 5 per for one hour and Rs 9 for every additional half hour. The users would also be able to avail a one-day pass, one-month pass and two-month pass based on their usage patterns. A smart card or smart key will be available with reading devices at stations. This immediately facilitates reading of charges, auto-deduction from apps and updating user profile.
How it works?
A mobile phone app would be made available for download where cycle sharing stations would be listed on the app and the availability of the cycles would appear on the portal.
To prevent theft, the cycles come in varying designs and sizes from the conventional, commercial cycles in the market. Each cycle would also be geo-tagged and able to be unlocked only via app or scanning by a reader on an authorised device. Real-time monitoring also enables the authorities to redistribute the supply of cycles based on demand.
The mobile application would contain features for user login, list of available bikes at stations and provisions for recording user’s trip history and personal profile.