Some of the bikes, which can be unlocked with an app and deposited in either BKC or Kalina campus, will be put on a trial run
Yulu provides the e-bikes through their official app
Central Railway (CR) on Sunday said it will provide exclusive 115-sqm non-motorised environment-friendly transport hubs, the first of which will come outside Kurla station on its western side. The e-bikes will serve commuters between the business and student district of Bandra, Kurla and BKC. It is the first time that the Indian Railways is providing docking hubs for e-bike docking outside stations.
The initiative is a part of the project inaugurated by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray where the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in February signed a deal with an e-bike sharing platform to start a pilot scheme in BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex).
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Yulu Bikes, which is already operating in Navi Mumbai, will set up 25 zones (docking stations) in BKC and near Kurla railway station, and provide 500 bikes that can be used for last-mile connectivity. When fully charged, the lithium battery-powered scooter can run up to 55 km.
Confirming the development, Central Railway's chief Public Relations Officer, Shivaji Sutar said that the hub will make space for about 70 to 80 e-cycles. Kurla has one of the maximum footfalls and has connectivity to various places like BKC, Bandra and Kalina campus, frequented by youngsters and students.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated MMRDA's project with Yulu for a pilot e-bike scheme in BKC earlier this month
Sutar said that this is the first such project of the Indian Railways being executed by CR on trial basis.
"This will be an app-based service. Commuters must download the app, which will enable them to scan the QR code and unlock the cycle. Usage fees will be deducted through the app. If passenger response is good, we may introduce it at other major railway stations," Sutar said.
As per the MMRDA note, to use the service, commuters will need to download the Yulu app. They will have to pay Rs 10 to unlock the bike, and subsequently pay Rs 10 for every 10 minutes of use. The top speed of the bike has been capped at 25 km per hour. The bikes are powered by interchangeable batteries, and hence would not need to be recharged at the docking hub.
Rs 10
Cost of unlocking a bike and then for every 10 minutes
500
No. of e-bikes to be provided in BKC
3
No. of places that will be connected — Kurla, BKC, Kalina
25
Maximum speed (in kmph) of the Yulu e-bike
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