Why bicycling in Bengaluru is a cruel joke on cyclists

BENGALURU: Bicycling in Bengaluru is a cruel joke on cyclists. Shrinking road space and the absence of rider safety, not to mention the lack of cycling infrastructure, are killing this most sustainable and healthy mode of mobility. Little wonder then that even those bicyclerenting ventures that started off with much promise are now adding electric cycles and scooters to stay in business. ET’s Naveen Menezes finds out more:

When bicycle renting ventures hit the streets of Bengaluru last year, Pradip Soundararajan, an operational manager at a private firm in Bellandur, looked forward to the idea of cycling to work. He hoped this mode of transport, besides keeping him fit, would cut down the travel time of his sixkilometre commute between his home in Kundalahalli and office on the Outer Ring Road (ORR). His hope was shortlived. The constant pressure to move faster on roads without dedicated bicycle lanes and having to fear for life and limb all the time forced the 31-year-old to give up the idea in a couple of months. Now, if he does cycle, it is only on weekends — when the ORR has less rush — or for exercise.

Much of Bengaluru’s experience with cycling is similar to Soundarajan’s. Despite its conducive weather and even terrain — both of which seem tailor-made for outdoor activities — cycling is at best becoming a recreational activity, seen in parks and boulevards. It is far from becoming a micro mobility alternative the city requires.


Many an operator who bet on bicyclerenting platforms for first- and last-mile connectivity is introducing electric or motorised alternatives to stay afloat.

BUMPY RIDE
Unlike the model Trin Trin project in Mysuru, where the state government invested in bicycles and docking stations, Bengaluru has a different model. In the capital, permits were issued to private companies to run bicyclesharing as a business. Of the four firms that came forward, only two — Yulu and Bounce — have survived. Zoomcar’s PEDL and Lezonet gave up even before the project took off. The directorate of urban land transport (DULT), which was tasked with implementing the public bicycle-sharing project, says there are about 4,000 shared bicycles in the city. They are spread mainly in Central Bengaluru and in areas on the IT corridor, including ORR, Koramangala and HSR Layout.

Their usage is also impressive if the numbers given by the operators are true. Each bicycle apparently gets 2-3 rides a day, claim operators. The global average is four rides per bicycle per day.

Most of these rides, however, appear to be for leisure. Places such as Cubbon Park and Agara lake have become hotspot for cyclists during the weekend. KS Amardeep, a graphic designer and a resident of Indiranagar, said he often uses shared bicycles in Cubbon Park but never to work. “As I wear formal clothes to the office, I prefer to use my own vehicle. If I cycle, I tend to sweat,” he said.

A 2016 study titled ‘The factors influencing bicycling in the Bangalore city’ by the Indian Institute of Science indicated the reasons for low bicycle ridership. “Contrary to the state in countries such as Netherlands, Germany and United States that have achieved an increased bicycle mode share by providing safe and efficient infrastructure, India has faced a decline in the share of bicyclists over the years. One reason for this might be the absence of bicycling infrastructure in India,” the study, prepared by Prof Ashish Verma, states.

Despite being the most vulnerable road-users, some cyclists are determined to brave it out. Manjunath CR, an IT professional at a private firm in Bagmane Tech Park, has bought an annual Yulu pass (the pass costs ?1,000 for 365 rides). “If I take the Metro feeder bus (at Baiyappanahalli) to the office, the monthly pass will cost ?800. Cycling from the Metro station to the tech park is easy as it’s downhill. Returning is difficult but as I am heading home, I do not mind,” he said.

OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
While infrastructure and the traffic is limiting ridership, operators are faced with another challenge: theft and vandalism. Even well-funded bicycle-sharing companies such as Ofo and Mobike are known to have shut down operations due to this.

Arguing that the business can be profitable, Amit Gupta, cofounder and CEO of Yulu Bikes said, “The Chinese players did not understand India’s market. Our model is becoming successful as we are taking the local community into confidence. When someone tries to misuse our cycles, the locals tip us,” he said, adding there are technological solutions to every problem.

“These bikes are fitted with GPS and sensors. If someone tries to move it without opening the lock or try to damage the parked vehicle, we get alerts. We have lost about 300 bicycles in the last 15 months but that has helped us come up with better anti-theft mechanisms,” he said.

NEW SOLUTIONS
Little wonder then that these companies are moving towards electric scooters. They are also planning to launch batterypowered bicycles.

A year after starting its bicycle renting business, Yulu rolled out 500 electric scooters (called Yulu Miracle) in February. The new mode of transport has received much more attention within a short span of time than bicycles did. For one, the electric scooters are faster, need no pedal power and are easy to use. With a finger on commuters’ pulse, the firm now plans to introduce hybrid bicycles (with both battery and pedals) to attract “fence sitters.”

Azmatullah Shariff, a business development executive at an insurance firm, gave up Yulu cycles and took to the company’s electric scooters. He has not gone back to cycling.

“The demand for Yulu Miracle is considerably high,” Gupta said. “Each scooter gets around 6.75 rides a day. We are planning to introduce 3,000 electric scooters in the next 6-8 weeks,” he said.

Vivekananda Hallekere, co-founder of Bounce, said shared bicycle as a standalone product can never be a profitable venture. “Scooters have a large marketshare than bicycles. Except in some parts of central Bengaluru, infrastructure is also an issue for bicycle users. We will be able to sustain bicycle services only with the help of scooter operations,” he said.

Bounce runs both bicycles and dieselengined scooters. “Each diesel scooter of Bounce gets about seven rides a day. The bicycles, however, get only two rides a day,” Hallekere said.

Sathya Shankaran, the Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru, said the government must step in to ensure micro-mobility. While cycling infrastructure could take long to materialise, the government should take up campaigns to sensitise motorists about cyclists on the road. Shankaran’s Citizens for Sustainability is launcning a year-long campaign titled #KeepMeSafe on May5, he revealed.

Meanwhile, DULT revealed that it is working towards providing bicycle parking infrastructure in 384 places in the city and has submitted a design to create bicycle lanes on 100-km of road.