04-05-2023 : The Srinagar Smart City project is well underway, and a trial test for pedaled cycles was carried out on Thursday in the city. According to Mehran Khan, who is in charge of the operations of e-bikes and pedaled cycles, the testing was conducted as part of the process for launching the e-bikes and cycles.
Khan revealed that they have approximately 1000 cycles, of which 900 are pedaled and 100 are electric. They plan to have 100 docking stations across the city and have already completed 70% of them. The remaining stations are expected to be completed within the next 15-20 days.
The cycles can be availed of from the nearest docking station by using a mapped application, which shows the location of all stations. Khan explained that the first 30 minutes of the ride would be free, and then the user would be charged Rs 5 for every subsequent 30 minutes. The cycles have a GPS fitted in them and can be easily located in case of theft.
Khan said that the project was being carried out by an Ahmedabad-based company, ‘Chartered Bike,’ which has now been set up in Srinagar to execute the operations of both pedaled and electric cycles. The project falls under the umbrella of the Srinagar Smart City project, and once the roads and cycle tracks are fully complete, the operations will commence at full scale.
The initiative to promote cycling in Srinagar is commendable, and the project is expected to go a long way in reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. It will also provide an affordable and healthy mode of transportation to the residents of Srinagar.