NDMC launches public bicycle sharing scheme for citizens across Delhi beginning with 300 smart bikes
The New Delhi Municipal Corporation also known as the NDMC has launched a public bicycle sharing service for citizens of the national capital to use in their part to battle rising air pollution.
As many as 300 bikes have been made available to the public under the scheme (Picture Courtesy: @tweetndmc) | Photo Credit: Twitter
New Delhi: Tasked with introducing measures to tackle the national capital's dipping air quality, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Saturday launched a Public Bicycle Share (PBS) service. As part of the program, as many as 300 smark bikes will be made available to the public across Delhi, said a senior official.
Confirming the same, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar told Times of India that the smart bikes will be available for use at 50 stations across New Delhi. He added that another 200 additional bicycles will be added to the existing fleet by the end of this month. These bicycles, he said, can be availed with the help of the NDMC mobile app 'NDMC-311' between 6 am and 10 am every day.
According to an official release by NDMC, those members wish to avail this service will be able to do so at a free cost for the first 30 minutes followed by a fee of Rs 10 for every subsequent half-hour thereon. However, non-members will be charged a fee of Rs 10 for every 30 minutes they use the bicycles. The council has also announced that they will be introducing weekly, monthly and yearly season passes for members.
A similar initiative was launched by Mumbai's civic body earlier this year allowing citizens to play their part in minimising pollution. Even Surat in Gujarat and Nanded city near Pune in Maharashtra introduced similar services. The service has been welcomed by environmental activists who claim that if taken the whole yard, such initiatives can largely contribute to battling air pollution and traffic bottlenecks in cities across India.
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