Self-drive car sharing platform Zoomcar announces cycle sharing service

Self-drive car sharing company Zoomcar has rolled out a technology-enabled bicycle sharing service called PEDL. In the first phase, the fleet offering starts from Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata.

An industry source also says that Zoomcar working on motorcycles and scooters as well.

Designed to complement Zoomcar's existing business, PEDL reportedly offers cycles at multiple pickup points across various neighborhoods in a city. It includes real-time GPS tracking, solar battery charging and built-in alarms and smart locks which are easily unlocked using a QR Code.

The process of using the service is also quite simple - walk up to a PEDL location, pay via Paytm and drop it off later at any of the PEDL locations. According to the company, the cycles are priced at Rs 10 per half an hour, although if you use the bicycle for longer than planned you may have to pay extra at the time of returning it.

There is no cash given as security deposit, but you do have to carry a photo ID proof. The bicycle sharing platform is also is tying up with a number of partners, like retail stores and other small businesses in these cities to manage cycles rentals.

"With this, we are officially extending the Zoomcar platform into the realm of multi-modal urban mobility," says CEO & Co-founder of Zoomcar, Greg Moran. "In recent times, we've observed a huge market gap for trips shorter than 5 kms and we firmly believe that the cycle 2.0 is best positioned to serve these use cases," he adds.

According to an ET report, Zoomcar expects to cross 10,000 cycles on road in 2017, with larger expansion plans to follow in 2018.

With the announcement of Ofo, a China-based bicycle sharing platform to enter Indian market by the first half of 2018, the bicycle sharing space has become a hotbed for India.

Valued at $2 billion, Didi Chuxing-backed Ofo has connected more than 8 million bicycles to more than 100 million users across eight countries, including the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and the US.

According to an official, the sharing model would need to be tweaked and localised for the Indian market. Over here, civic behaviour is a concern

In China, the bicycle sharing startups such as Ofo, Mobike and Bluegogo have faced the wrath of users in the past. Some media reports surfaced about users throwing bikes in rivers, and damaging them.

According to media reports, out of the 13,615 traffic violations perpetrated by non-motorized vehicles, 3261 involved violations by bicycle riders.

Despite operational challenges like lack of parking, security among others, bike rental startups are having a ball in China.

Other startups who work in the same segment are RentSetGo, Planet Green Bikes, Rentomo and Metro Bikes.

PEDL: Website