Known as Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) Managing Director Krishan Kumar’s brainchild, ‘Mo Cycle’ clocks a remarkable rise in the average number of rides per day at more than seven, a score ahead of all other cities in India with the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system,and with this, Bhubaneswar joins the league of top cities in the world with PBS systems, such as Barcelona, Mexico and Lyon, etc.
CRUT Public Bicycle System (PBS) analytics reveal a record ridership on December 3 with more than 4,000 trips and 11 rides per bicycle per day.
It also has demonstrated an upward trend for number of registrations on the App, with the figure peaking at about 20,000 registrations, a cumulative for all three operators – Hexi, Yaana and Yulu.
The Mo Cycle ridership shot up in the first week of December, demonstrating public preference for alternative modes such as cycling and walking in the city of Bhubaneswar.
“Our aim is to nurture a vibrant and enthusiastic cycling community in the city of Bhubaneswar. The CRUT team congratulates the riders, and our partner communities, on attaining this impressive figure within such a short span,” said Dr Kumar.
“It has been a great start for Mo Cycle - system and it is heartening to see so many residents choosing to ride cycles for their everyday trips, and people are especially enjoying the recent beautification of the city, on bicycles,” he added.
An on-going dipstick survey by CRUT PBS team reveals that Mo Cycle scores 47 per cent on convenience, 24 per cent on affordability and 30 per cent on environment-friendly parameter. This finding is a testimony to the fact that there are rising numbers of bicycle trips every day. “People finding it convenient, indicates that routine commute trips would stabilise as the days pass and will bring the PBS closer to its objective of providing an alternative transport system that promotes work trips,” said PBS specialist with CRUT Anuj Malhotra.
“The survey also reveals that 70 per cent of the trips on Mo Cycle were earlier made on motorised modes, like cars, two wheelers, auto rickshaws and bus. This speaks volume about the acceptance of the system in Bhubaneswar and its potential in the future,” added Malhotra.
Meanwhile, the expansion of Mo Cycle system into new localities within the city is on the roll. Last week, Mo Cycle stations were operationalized at IDBI square, Saheed Nagar, and at multiple locations in Janpath, bringing the grand total of the stations to 147 with about 500 bicycles.
The flexible and stress-free cycle system currently has a total of about 16,000 monthly and half-yearly registered members, which shows a growth of 500 per cent, when compared to the corresponding figure on the date of the launch. The total rides amount up to 30,000 since the day of launch.
