Peshawar BRT to offer bicycle-sharing system along with bus rides

Bikes can be rented for riding in the dedicated lanes using fare card for buses

PESHAWAR: Once complete, commuters hopping on to the mass transit bus project in the provincial capital will also be able to enjoy cycle rides in a dedicated cycle lane using the same payment card as the bus service. Commuters, though, will have to learn how to ride a bike on their own.

TransPeshawar, the urban mobility company owned by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and is responsible for operating and maintaining the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, plans to purchase around 360 bicycles in a bike-sharing feature which will be introduced along with the project.

This was announced in an official statement released by the company on Wednesday.

In this regard, a separate bike-lane is being built along the entire 28-kilometre-long corridor for the BRT.

To rent-out and the bicycles, travellers can use their “Zu Fare Card,” which they can procure from TransPeshawar. The card can also be used to travel on BRT buses.

With a one-size-fits-all design, the bicycles will be using a step-through frame, so that it is gender neutral with both men and women using these without any hindrance. A step-through frame bicycle is more appropriate as per the cultural needs of women in Peshawar, for easy riding.

The 360 bicycles will all have easily adjustable seat posts which can be adjusted to different heights for individual riders.

To ensure the safety of riders during poor lighting conditions, the bicycles will be equipped with an automatic light emitting diode (LED) light and reflectors. To further enhance the safety of riders, the bicycles will be chainless and use safe pedals.

The company will also have a rewards system built on the service’s website, and mobile application to encourage good behaviour. Customers who take bicycles from relatively full stations or return bicycles to relatively empty stations will be rewarded.

To discourage theft of the bikes, they will be manufactured using unique parts and components.

Three trucks will also be deployed throughout the system to redistribute cycles where demand is high. The bicycle sharing system will have bicycle stands at each station and at popular locations along the corridor to facilitate passengers.

Once customers are registered in the system, they can utilize the fare card, customer website or system app to access their credentials, which will be interlinked.

The bicycle terminal will also have a facility for customers to view the status of their card. Additionally, passengers can also rent the bicycle through the accompanying mobile application.

This follows the introduction of bicycle renting systems on university campuses where students can rent bicycles through a mobile application and can just leave them when done and the company can track them with built-in positioning systems.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2018.