Government to launch bike-on-rent facility to encourage tourists

NEW DELHI: In order to provide last mile connectivity to all tourist destinations in the city, Delhi government will soon launch bike-on-rent facility for tourists in the national capital.

As per the tourism department's plan, bikes will be available on a rent at metro stations, ISBTs and railway stations and important places across the capital.

Tourism minister Jitender Singh Tomar said that Delhi has many tourist sites and keeping these things in mind, government has decided to encourage people to visit tourist destinations by launching such facility.

"Department has planned to launch bike-on-rent facility to encourage people to visit tourist sites in the national capital and to provide last mile connectivity to such destinations.

"As per plan, bikes which will be parked at metro stations and ISBTs, and will be provided to people on rent for visiting tourist sites," Tomar said.

Department is currently running Hop on Hop off (HOHO) tourist bus facility rolled out just ahead of Commonwealth Games in 2010, but the bus service has gone in loss since there were not enough passengers every day.

Tomar said that after visiting tourist destinations, people will be required to park the bike at the place from where they took the vehicle on rent.

The minister also said that people wanting to take bike on rent for visiting tourist destinations will be required to submit their identity at bike counters and thereafter, they would be given to bike.

"Things like numbers of bikes and rent of such vehicles is now being finalised by the officials. For an experiment, department will start bike-on-rent facility at some metro stations and ISBTs," said a senior official of department.