The Stamp Challenge, a smart mobility start-up festival, on Saturday saw three start-ups being selected for their solutions for better commuter experience and first and last-mile connectivity.
A collaborative effort of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL), World Resources Institute India (WRII), Toyota Mobility Foundation and L&T Metro Rail Limited, the challenge saw as many as 11 start-ups making their pitches before a jury that included HMRL managing director N.V.S. Reddy, IIIT Professor of Practice and Co-Innovations Ramesh Loganathan, among others. The winning start-ups were Mobycy, a shared mobility app that deploys smart bicycles, e-bicycles and e-scooters through QR code, TVU and Bykerr, an on-demand e-auto-rickshaw provider with one-time booking end-to-end ride, and Journee, an integrated ticketing and analytics solutions provider.
After the start-ups made their respective pitches, the members of the jury sought to know how they would roll out their products or solutions. They also sought information on revenue models and what makes them stand apart as compared to their competitors.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Reddy said HMR was the world’s largest project in the public-private-partnership mode. Pavements, strong last-mile connectivity and feeder services among others have been instrumental in containing traffic. He said the HMRL has been continuously working to implement various solutions, including e-vehicles, to tackle last-mile connectivity issues.
WRII’s head of innovation and integrated transport Pawan Mulukula said, “Each metro station has a specific requirement for first and last-mile solutions. Improved last-mile accessibility to the metro, coupled with seamless integration with private mobility, is cardinal in providing residents with greater ease of movement in the city. This is what we are trying to address through Stamp”