Public bicycle sharing to start very soon in Belagavi with ‘Yaana bikes’

Good news for citizens and travellers who want a healthy alternative to city-wide travel. The Belagavi Smart City Ltd (BSCL) to provide the privilege of cycling to residents, visitors and tourists on sharing basis.

As part of the smart city project initiative, ‘Public Bike/Bicycle Sharing’ (PBS) facility launching very shortly in the Belagavi city soon. The PBS system would allow users to rent out a bike from a designated automatic docking station and deposit it at another docking station located close to his/her destination. The facility would be available at a nominal rent.

Currently the company has started setting its first docking station near Basaveshwar Circle, would be ready very soon.

In the first phase, the city would have 19-20 docking stations have been identified, each to have around 10 bicycles. Belagavi Smart City Ltd (BSCL) has awarded the tender to the aspiring Public Bicycle Sharing Company Yaana Bikes.

The bikes, to be operated through a smart app ‘Yaana-Smart Bicycle Sharing’ embellished with a unique identification code for each of the bicycles, will be available for use on a rental basis. The app will allow a user to take the bike from a select PBS docking station for a fixed time and by paying the rental upfront.

Once the use of the bicycle is over, it can be returned to the nearest docking station.  However, no date has yet been given for the formal start of this facility.

Pricing details will be soon updated on ‘Yaana-Smart Bicycle Sharing’ smart app. Download the app here : Android and Ios.

What is PBS?
Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system, is a service in which bicycles are madeavailable to multiple users (on a sharing basis) for short duration trips, offering an option of returning them at different destinations. Often, PBS systems are integrated with public transit stations to provide last mile connectivity or in mixed land use areas to facilitate short duration work and/ or personal trips.

Who will use PBS? PBS system is designed to be used by one and all, but it may be more frequently used by: Daily commuters for last-mile connectivity, Residents and office employees to run general errands, Time and budget sensitive tourists, Students.

What are the advantages of PBS over other IPT modes? Using PBS is considerably cheaper than using Intermediate Public Transport (IPT) like cycle rickshaw, auto rickshaw or shared auto-rickshaw. Moreover, one has route flexibility using a PBS system compared to IPT modes like shared auto-rickshaw which run on specific routes and may not necessarily connect directly to one’s destination. The density of stations in PBS system allows for convenient last mile connectivity in most cases.