Chennai: The Pedestrian Plaza in Pondy Bazaar now has an added attraction. The civic body, in association with the Chennai Smart City Limited, has introduced ‘Cycle Sharing’ at the project site.
Speaking on this, an official said, “This facility, launched in a few other locations like Anna Nagar and Marina beach, proved to be highly successful. We are now setting it up in this Pedestrian Plaza. All those who wish to hire a cycle, should download ‘Smart Bike’ app on their Android mobiles, and register their numbers in the app. After registration, they should scan the QR code and start using the vehicle. Alternatively, each cycle will be provided with five digit numbers and users can register this number in their mobile.”
About the rates, he said, “For every hour of usage, Rs 5 will be charged as rent and after that, for every half-an-hour, Rs 9 will be collected. Similarly, for a day Rs 49, monthly, it will be Rs 249 and for three months it is Rs 699. With a single account, two cycles can be hired at a time. The users can also park the bikes at the nearest Smart Bike station with the help of the app.”
All cycles are fitted with GPS devices and will be easily located in case of theft, it was informed. Apart from the Pedestrian Plaza in Pondy Bazaar, the cycle-sharing concept is to be introduced in a few other locations in T Nagar for the benefi t of the public, the official added.
The development has gained much appreciation from residents and commuters in T Nagar. “Cycling, almost a forgotten mode of transport in the neighbourhood, being introduced again is definitely a welcome step,” commented Shailaja, a walker here.
“Now that everyone is using Android mobiles, downloading the app will not be difficult. They have also enabled parking in other stations, which adds to the convenience. At the same time, it is also important to provide a cycling passage for users in a heavily-congested road like Thyagaraya Road: only then will the real benefits be seen,” she pointed out.