What makes bike-sharing in Bengaluru different?

Over the last 15 years, Bengaluru has grown from a sleepy urban city to a cosmopolitan tech hub. It has been facing the same challenges faced by similarly growing cities in the third world: rapid urbanization, overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, crowded roads, increasing atmospheric and noise pollution, etc.

Solutions that seem obvious in the developed world do not work in the third world. Bengaluru, being the technology hub in India, can lead the way in solving these issues for the Third World.

In this blog, I am going to discuss the unique transportation issues Bengaluru faces, with special focus on bike-sharing systems. I will be proposing a solution in subsequent blogs.

I will be explaining how different aspects of the bike-sharing system are uniquely different in the context of Bengaluru City.

Costs:

With an annual average income of $1,500 in India, there is a need to keep the costs down to a minimum. It is a major factor that overweighs every decision as we design the bike-share system. While making decisions about security, technology, etc. the costs overweigh the choices that we make.

For example, the first thing that one notices is that the bikes in a bike-share system are unique. They stand out, which is best to attract attention. Unfortunately, these unique bikes cost a lot more than commoditized bikes that are mass produced.

Market Segment:

It is difficult to build a bike-sharing system that is everything to everyone. For instance, to avoid buying a second car, there could be bike sharing systems set up in apartment complexes that could be used to go to the neighborhood markets. There could be another bike rental system to rent a bicycle for short term visitors to the city. The selection of the bikes will be different as one requires a basket to carry groceries while the other requires geared cycles with low-friction thin tires for long distance rides.

Selecting the right market segment to start with before expanding to address other markets will decide the success and failure of the whole program.

The developed world can be seen as a suburbanized society, with well defined city centres and suburban residential areas. Implementing a bike share in the suburbs is impractical as the distances are simply too far. So the only market segments that are commonly targeted are people in city downtowns/ city centers or tourists.

In contrast, there is no concept of a suburb in India and is much more densely populated. There are different and more market segments to target. One segment is the apartment complex. There are many apartment complexes across Bengaluru that house hundreds of families each. We can address the travel needs of these families for within their neighborhoods.

Another segment is the morning commute. Most people part of the morning commute work close to where they live. If everyone uses their car just to travel 2 miles to work (the high population density means a LOT of people commute the same route) the roads get jammed and chaos ensues. Most people still use cars despite the wide range of public transportation available within the city.

This brings me to the next market segment. Public transportation is used to travel between neighborhoods. There is no existing mechanism to connect people within neighborhoods to public transportation (to bus stops or metro stations).

Location:

The location of the bikes depends on the targeted market segment. If we target commuters, we will need to be close to their homes and offices. If we wish to complement the public transportation system, we will have different locations.

Choosing the right locations is integral to the success of the bike-sharing system to meet user demand.

Choosing locations for the bike-share system depends on the targeted market segment. Most commonly, the bikes need to be located next to the busy main roads. Many roads do not have a clear border between the sidewalk and the road; often, they are one and the same. It must also be kept in mind the high number of traffic accidents that happen in India everyday (16 people die every hour).

Bike Safety:

I can speak from personal experience that no bike is safe no matter how strong the lock. Theft and vandalism are common, and bikes are stolen to be sold off as scrap metal. Adding any technology to the bikes provides greater incentive for theft. Also, there is always the issue of making sure a user does not carry away a bike once it has been unlocked for travel.

Competition:

Unlike the developed world, bike-sharing in India faces a unique competitor - local auto taxis. They are often the cheapest transport option. They are a powerful group, unionized, and have political backing. I expect that they may not take kindly to a new, more cheaper and efficient transport option opening up in Bengaluru.

There are also strict city regulations to consider about the locations of bike stations and any unattended bikes. There is a big bureaucracy which can slow down and reduce the efficiencyof the bike share. This can sometimes extend to law-enforcement as well.

Product Design:

As I have already mentioned, most bike-sharing systems use their own custom made bikes to either stand out from other bike shares or to make the ride smoother. But this can also be costly, and cost is a major factor to consider when designing the bike-sharing system for Bengaluru.

Mass produced commoditized bikes come in different shapes and sizes, and so do the users. Depending the user we are targeting, we can buy the right bike accordingly. If the market segment we are targeting is for families travelling within the neighborhood, we can buy commoditized bikes with baskets. If we target commuters who travel long distances, we can buy geared bikes. Choosing the right bike is very important for user comfort, speed, and biking efficiency, which may also help in increasing the number of bikes in circulation within the system.

This the is custom made bike for the Paris Velib, which costs a lot to make on their own.

Above is the mass produced and cheap bike made by a local Indian company that we can buy in bulk.

Technology:

Bike-sharing and technology have become inseparable since the beginning. There is a GPS to track the bike in case it gets lost (or stolen). There are QR codes imprinted on the bike to reserve the bike for a user. Smartphones are often involved, but they are the user’s burden, not ours. There are smart lock systems designed for locking bikes. Bike-shares are also incorporating 3G technologies into their bikes to collect live data and enhance the experience. There are solar panels installed to charge the 3G service too. The bike stations themselves can be expensive to construct and maintain, especially because of the electronic/smart bike lock system they have.

The point is, it has become the trend and the norm to install a lot of technology on the bikes to make the bike-share experience more seamless and efficient. These technologies are very expensive though and are not very suitable for the third-world.

For example, a few years ago, some college students attempted to set up a bike share system in Bengaluru. They designed their system after European models. Their system was, of course, tech heavy. The technology became too expensive to maintain, not to mention that so much tech became an incentive for theft. It contributed to the decline of the bike share sometime later.

Below is a common example of a bike station. Note the custom made bikes: