After eliciting an encouraging response, Trin Trin, the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system launched in Mysuru in 2017, is all set to be taken a notch higher with the Karnataka Government embarking on a project to revamp it with technological interventions.
Not only will the bright yellow-colour conventional bicycles of Trin Trin be replaced with the more rider-friendly pedal assist bicycles, the system of docking the bicycles will also shift from the beam-style dock to dockless system with an Internet of Things (IoT)-based integrated lock system.
Trial run conducted
The Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), which is implementing the project, and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), which is the nodal agency, are in the thick of the revamping exercise.
“About 200 pedal assist bicycles have already arrived. A trial run was carried out at 46 dockless hubs,” said S. Shushruth, an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of MCC, who is the designated engineer in charge of the project.
While Trin Trin operations have been suspended to facilitate overhaul of the system, the date for its relaunch with pedal assist bicycles and dockless stations is yet to be finalised by the government.
The pedal assist bicycle, which offers motor assistance when pedalling, will help reduce stress and the impact on the rider’s knees and thighs, particularly when pedalling on undulating terrain. While users can choose to pedal like normal bicycles, the pedal assist feature is expected to enable people of all ages to opt for cycling for short trips.
While school and college-going students, apart from young employees and tourists, accounted for a majority of the rides on conventional Trin Trin bicycles, the authorities are anticipating patronage base to widen with the introduction of pedal assist bicycles, which promise to vastly improve the riding experience.
Trin Trin fleet size to be increased
The fleet of bicycles will be increased from the existing 450 to 1,000 while the number of operational hubs will go up from 48 to 100, taking the availability of Trin Trin to newer and hitherto unserved areas of Mysuru.
The docking system of the bicycles will undergo a change during the revamping exercise.
The beam style docks were fixed ones, thereby reducing the scope of relocation and expansion. In the modular dock-less system, the bicycle locking system is independent of the station, making the system much more flexible.
The IoT-based integrated lock makes the bicycle independent from any fixed infrastructure, like a beam or bollard. The dock-less hubs, which are geo-fenced, will create a virtual boundary that enables the software to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves the area.
The MCC hopes the dockless system will not only be efficient and effective in terms of ease of operation, but also reduce maintenance cost.
High smartphone penetration
The MCC believes that the high smartphone penetration in Mysuru augurs well for deploying this system. The revamping of the current system shall improve sustainability of the PBS project since it will comprise a wider coverage area, improved riding experience, ease of accessibility with fully automatic system, lower operational cost, higher uptake, as the system is suitable for students and the younger population. The overhaul of the PBS system is also expected to further the tourism potential of Mysuru.
Till Trin Trin was suspended a few months ago to start the revamping process, more than 17,000 people had registered as members of the PBS by paying a refundable deposit of ₹250, and opted for various short-term, medium-term to long-term plans starting from a 10-day plan to a yearly plan by remitting the fees stipulated for the respective plans.
While the first half-an-hour of the ride was free, an amount of ₹5 was charged for a ride duration between 30 minutes and 1 hour, ₹15 for a duration between 1 hour and 2 hours, ₹35 for a duration between 2 hours and 3 hours, ₹65 for a duration between 3 hours and 4 hours, and so on.
New fees for Trin Trin yet to be finalised
Mr. Shushruth said the user fee under the revamped system is yet to be finalised, and the same will be announced when the PBS is formally relaunched.
When Trin Trin was launched in June 2017, Mysuru-based enterprise Green Wheel Ride had bagged the contract to operate the PBS. After conclusion of the contract with Green Wheel Ride, the MCC invited bids for selection of a service provider for revamping and operating the PBS. Gujarat-based Greenpedia Bike Share Private Limited had bagged the order for overhauling and operating the PBS in Mysuru for another five years.
People wishing to rent a Trin Trin bicycle after it is reintroduced in the new avatar will have to register themselves afresh. Details of the process will be disclosed later, according to MCC officials.
Mysuru offers perfect setting for public bicycle sharing system
When the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) zeroed in on the Mysuru to introduce, what is arguably, the country’s first Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system in June 2017, the historical city’s tree-lined wide roads and manageable traffic provided the perfect setting for introducing cycles as a form of environment-friendly public transport option.
Even though PBS has been introduced in many other parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, the response has been comparatively better in Mysuru.
While more than 17,000 people had registered themselves for Trin Trin in Mysuru, the daily ridership was over 1,200 on many days, particularly before COVID-19.
Who took Trin Trin cycles?
Though the customer base for Trin Trin in Mysuru was largely school and college-going students, who would pick up the bicycles from stations near their house and drop them off at the stations near their institutions, many young employees and tourists too were riding Trin Trin bicycles.
The geared Trin Trin bicycles, available only at the station near Chamundi Hills, were in demand among fitness freaks, particularly during weekends when they would pedal the 7-km distance to the hill-top and return.
Though trend of cycling appears to be catching up in Mysuru, Mysuru District Amateur Cycling Association president Lokesh Narasimhachar, however, felt that much of cycling is for health purposes. “Cycling should be more for commuting,” he said adding that cycles are yet to become a popular mode for commuting from one part of the city to another.
With Mysuru’s spread restricted to about 150 sq km within the Outer Ring Road, many people can still reach their destinations using cycles.
Apart from wide roads and manageable traffic, Mr. Shushruth said the terrain in Mysuru is flatter than most other cities.
Cycling tracks in Mysuru
In addition to the existing cycling track along Lalitha Mahal Palace Road, passing in front of Administrative Training Institute (ATI), the MCC is planning to create a cycling track network of 8.72 km in the core areas of the city.
Cycling tracks will be come up on Jhansi Lakshmi Bai Road, Sita Vilas Road, Bogadi Road, Vishvamanava Double Road, Krishnaraja Boulevard, Chamaraja Double Road, and New Kantharaj Urs Road.
“The work on creating a network of cycling tracks in the core areas of the city will begin shortly,” he said.
Also Read | Bengaluru on track with cycle lanes
