Srinagar: Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) is all set to make it easy to paddle through Srinagar with a single click of a button.
In a bid to contain traffic jams across the city, the SSCL has collaborated with a Gujarat-based bike-sharing company to enable the service in Srinagar.
Mohammad Yasir Shah, a Srinagar-based official of the Chartered Bike said that their company has already collaborated with various smart city projects across India, and SSCL is their new collaboration. He said that Chartered Bike is fully automated public bike-sharing system launched in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in 2017, and now spans various other cities, including Ranchi, Surat, Kolkata, and Prayagraj.
“Our company is all set to set up 100 docking stations from where people can avail this service. Around one thousand cycles will be available across these locations, which will make it easy to paddle around the city that too on minimal charges. We usually have to go to short distances, and we have to wait for public transport, which usually gets stuck in traffic jams. Through this service, one can easily use cycle by downloading an app,” Shah said.
Shah said that an app would help riders to scan the bike to unlock, use and park back.
“The good thing about this service is that you don’t have to get a cycle back to the station where you took it from. You can simply park it at any station of the company. It is a GPS-enabled system that is easy to use through our app,” he said.
The officials of the company say that the company aims to create a sustainable, eco-friendly, and efficient mobility solution by providing hassle-free rides within Srinagar city.
Officials from the Srinagar administration said that the aim is to provide an eco-friendly alternative to ease the traffic jam and make navigating easy at a low cost.
“SSCL has taken up various projects for better mobility across the city. New cycle tracks are coming up in Srinagar, which will be the backbone of this project,” said an official.
The initiative has received a good response, as per the officials. An official from the company said they are only done with the trial run and have received around two hundred registrations for the service. A trail run was recently carried out by the company from Dalgate to Sonwar.
Cycling enthusiasts, students, and people from other walks of life have appreciated this move of administration.
“Srinagar is full of traffic jams, and such a facility will ease navigation through the city. It is better for health and for the environment too if we can opt for cycling to cover long distances. It is better than waiting for public transport, autos, and cabs which are expensive and time-consuming,” said Sajid Farooq, a student.