HYDERABAD: Bike taxis or motorcycles on hire are increasingly becoming popular amongst commuters in the city--especially in the western corridor, shows data provided by the
Regional Transport Authority (RTA).
As per figures available with the RTA, more than 1,400 new ‘motorcycles for hire’ were registered in the city in the first three months of this year. According to sources, a majority of these are currently plying in the
Cyberabad region—in areas such as Hi-Tec City,
Madhapur,
Gachibowli and Kukatpally. Commuters point to the reduced commute time and affordable fares as the chief draws for this mode of transportation.
“A two-wheeler offers more mobility during the morning and evening peak hours when compared with the other forms of transport such as cabs, buses and autos. While it takes me 15 to 20 minutes to travel between my office in Madhapur and home in Gachibowli, in a two-wheeler it will take me less than half this time,” said
Sahil Singh, a techie.
Private cab aggregators like Uber also pointed to a steady increase in demand for its ‘Uber Moto’ service launched in December 2016—with one Uber Moto being requested every 18 seconds in Hyderabad today. Uber moto fare in the city starts at ?20.
“Bike taxis provide easy and affordable ride for short trips around town, while creating tens of thousands of flexible entrepreneurial opportunities. Bike taxis have the potential to make ridesharing accessible to a wider section of consumers. The number of people using the
Metro service in Hyderabad can also increase significantly when more people have easy access to quick, reliable and affordable rides to/ from the Metro station. This can further help tackle growing vehicular congestion in the city,” said an Uber spokesperson. Others pointed to the poor public transport network in Hi-Tec City and the exorbitant fares quoted by private cab aggregators as the reason for increasing demand for bike taxis in the area.
Representative image
