Book your cycle on app, use QR code and ride off in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Like in central and south Delhi, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation too operationalised an application-based bicycle sharing system in areas under its jurisdiction on Thursday. The bike service, launched in association with Planet Green Bikes, will cover 25 key locations, including Delhi University, New Delhi Railway Station, Chandni Chowk and ITO intersection.

Inaugurating the cycle service at the Vishwavidyalaya metro station, Adesh Gupta, mayor of the north corporation, said, “The problems of traffic jams and pollution in Delhi are getting worse by the day.In such a situation, we have taken this step to promote health and improve the environment.”
A corporation official said that people have to download an app called Planet Green Bikes to avail the service. “They have to register themselves using their Aadhaar number to open an account,” the official said. “The service will be available free of cost for the first half hour and will cost the user Rs 10 per hour after that.” Unlocking the bicycle from its docking station will require a QR code scan.
Keeping in mind the high pedestrian traffic in North Campus, four docking points are located there. These are Vishwavidyalaya metro station, Shreya Mishra Marg near Patel Chest Institute, Sudhir Bose Marg near Ramjas College and Guru Tegh Bahadur Marg opposite Khalsa College.
The 21 other points include the Minto Road crossing, the ITO intersection, New Delhi Railway Station, Kohat Enclave towards Netaji Subhash Place, Rohini East metro station, Saraswati Vihar, Mukarba Chowk towards Peeragarhi and Madhuban Chowk crossing. Other points are Shakarpur, Raja Garden, Shadipur Depot, Mayapuri-Kirti Nagar furniture market, and Rajouri Garden towards Dhaula Kuan.
In Karol Bagh, the selected points include Pusa Road going towards Rajendra Place metro station, Panchkuian Road, Mandir Marg crossing, RK Ashram Marg metro station, Jhandewalan metro station, Rajendra Place metro station and Karol Bagh roundabout going to Jhandewalan.
According to corporation officials, there are four such points in old Delhi: Shankar Road, near Gate no 6 at Kashmere Gate metro station; Delhi Gate crossing on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and Old Delhi Railway Station.
The New Delhi Municipal Council is successfully running the SmartBike service with 25 points where cycles can be accessed or docked, while SDMC has nine stands on the BRT corridor. Many bicycle sharing projects of this sort have come up in the recent past, but the city has failed to develop the associated infrastructure such as safe bicycle tracks, hampering the effort to promote cycling.