Public cycle system in Pune left in the cold

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has once more invited bids for its ‘eco-friendly share and ride’ public bicycle system (PBS) on ‘design, build, own, operate and transfer’ (DBOOT) basis for five years. There was no response when it invited tenders for the project in October.

Additional city engineer, Shriniwas Bonala, told DNA that no bidders came foward in October and so the civic body has called for tenders again.

Founder member and trustee of non-governmental organisation (NGO) Parisar, Sujit Patwardhan, said there is no response because the PMC has left everything to the contractor to implement the project. There is no stake of the PMC in the project.
He said the PMC should show commitment to promotion of
bicycles. It should prepare a plan for the project and provide infrastructure.

“The PMC should know what it really wants,” he said.
The civic body has invited tenders from an individual, a registered partnership firm, a consortium, joint venture or a company. The last date for filing tenders is December 31.

The PBS will have cycle stations every 300 metres, covering the entire city. A registered member will be able to procure a cycle at any station and return it at any other for a nominal charge. The first phase will have a pilot project of 25 stations and 300 cycles.

The PMC has proposed the first year as the promotional period, during which the bicycle user need not pay rent for the first two hours. During this period, the entrepreneur can
implement an ‘early return’ incentive scheme.

The maximum rent for bicycles, proposed from the second year onwards, is free for the first 30 minutes, Rs5 for up to 60 minutes and Rs10 for every half hour thereafter. The PMC has allowed the entrepreneur to work out a separate plan for
occasional users.

As per the plan, the entrepreneur will issue smart cards to the members at a maximum cost of Rs700, out of which Rs500 will be a refundable deposit and Rs200 a non-refundable one-time activation charge valid for five years.

Members will have to sign an agreement. The cycles will be issued to cardholders only.