If you are a cycling enthusiast who rides to work everyday, you could soon earn ‘green credits’ in recognition of your contribution to clean energy and the environment.
Bengaluru’s ‘bicycle mayor’ Sathya Sankaran will roll out a ‘Bike to Work’ challenge in October. The pilot project will debut in September.
App on the way
The project aims to encourage more people to ride to work every day, and for companies to promote the culture of cycling.
Mr. Sankaran said the challenge is open to companies as well as teams of participants representing a company.
Participants will be given a month’s time to register on an app launched for the challenge.
A team of engineers is working on developing the software.
At the end of six months, the team with the highest number of cyclist-commuters riding to work, with the highest distance covered, will be awarded green credits and a trophy.
An ‘ambassador’ will mentor the participants through the challenge.
“Some companies might hesitate to register, so we have kept it open for a team of employees to come together and register,” Mr. Sankaran said.
The initiative also seeks to collate data on the number of cyclists in Bengaluru. At present, there are an estimated 45,000 cyclists in the city, but no statistics are available on the number that ride to work.
Tabulating data
Information on the routes that those on bicycles take frequently and the average distance that they cover will also be tabulated.
“This will help in making policy decisions. We can advise the government on where to provide additional cycle tracks and other infrastructure,” Mr. Sankaran explained.
Bengaluru-based iCycle is collaborating on the project, and will provide cycles on rent for the ‘Bike to Work’ initiative.