Bicycle sharing system to start in Pimpri Chinchwad

PIMPRI CHINCHWAD: After Pune, public bicycle sharing scheme will be launched in Pimpri Chinchwad under the Smart City project.

To begin with, bicycles would be stationed at Pimple Saudagar and Pimple Gurav. Both the areas are close to Rajiv Gandhi IT Park in Hinjewadi. The sharing scheme would then be replicated in other areas of the city as well.

Smart City executive officer and director Shravan Hardikar has dubbed the bicycle sharing scheme a good initiative. Joint director Neelkanth Poman said there would be 28 cycle stations in Pimple Saudagar and Pimple Gurav. The cycle stations would be along the roads. “The number of bicycles would be regulated at different stations. One would need to download apps to rent the cycles,’’ Poman said.

Private sector agencies engaged in operation of the public bicycle sharing scheme have been invited to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Pimpri Chinchwad Smart City Limited. A round table conference would be held at the municipal commissioner’s office on July 3.

There would be electronic tags to track where a cycle has been rented from and the station it has been returned. Cycles would have fully automated locking system, allowing users to rent the cycles without any manual interference.

The municipal corporation would have to check the background of the private agencies, the number of bicycles to be stationed at Pimple Saudagar and Pimple Gurav, proposed docking stations in the first phase, proposed mobile apps for operation, and support from other authorities like the traffic police, Poman added.