Free bicycle rides to escape Srinagar gridlocks

Srinagar: Are you fed up with recurring gridlocks in Srinagar?

No worries! Jammu and Kashmir government has introduced a free 30- minute bicycle ride in a bid to counter traffic congestion in Srinagar.

The administration is all set to launch 100 cycling points in Srinagar in order to promote green transport under Smart City Project.

The city authorities have collaborated with Bhopal-based start-up Chartered Bike for the project and a trial run for this facility was held in November last year.

The company has now issued a list of charges for using the service.

The ride as per the officials will be free for the first half an hour, after which Rs 5 will be charged for up to one hour. For a ride of 2-3 hours, Rs 25 will be charged to a user.

People will be charged Rs 50, 100 and 200 for 3, 4 and 6 hour rides respectively. For a ride above 8 hours, Rs 350 will be charged to a user.

To avail the service, a user will have to register and activate his lifetime subscription by depositing a sum of Rs 300.

Mohammad Yasir Shah, an official from Chartered Bike told The Kashmir Monitor that they are going to launch the service by the end of the ongoing month.

“We have finalised all the arrangements. We are ready to launch this service by the end of this month. A person will require downloading the app and using the service in any part of the city,” he said.

Shah said that 70 docking stations have been set up across Srinagar where these bicycles will be available for the public.

“We have 30 docking stations remaining in the city. Six to eight bicycles would be available on rent at every location. We are hopeful that every individual utilizes this service to promote eco-friendly transport in Kashmir,” he said.

The bicycles would be fitted with a GPS-tracking system, and the entire booking process, from payment to registration, would be done online.

Under Smart City Project, the administration would also be setting up tracks for cyclists and pedestrians on the famous Boulevard Road, and Hazratbal-Nishat Road in Srinagar.