Chennai Residents, Ride Your Smart Bikes For Upto A Month With The New Long-Term Rental Programme!

Love Smart Bikes? Secure your ride for the next month by taking advantage of their new long-term rental plan!

The burning of fossil fuels is one of the biggest dangers to our environment today, which is why sustainable modes of transport are rapidly gaining popularity all over the world. Initiatives like public bike-sharing systems, which provides first and last-mile connectivity to commuters who choose not to travel by car, are becoming increasingly common in India as well as other parts of the world.

Chennai happens to be one of the cities where this bike-sharing system has been introduced and well-received by the public. However, in an attempt to promote cycling and cycle-sharing as a viable most of transport in the city, Smart Bike has introduced a new long-term rental plan for residents that allows them to rent a bicycle for up to a month at a fixed rental fee!

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Pic Credits: Official Facebook/@smartbikemobility

In a move that could see monthly travel costs drop, Chennai residents can rent a Smart Bike for as long as a month for Rs. 999! If a month is too long a commitment, you can also pay Rs. 599 to use one for a fortnight or even try it out for a week for Rs. 299! In addition to making smart bikes so easily available to residents, Smart Bike has also conducted a ‘handlebar survey’ to better understand the trials and tribulations of a cyclist in Chennai.

As part of the survey, a group of cyclists started a trip from the Little Mount Metro and rode until the Corporation park in MRC Nagar, Raja Annamalai Puram, making a note of and reporting the challenges they faced along the way, including potholes and unfriendly roads. Different routes with the same starting and ending points were identified so as to gather enough data.

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Pic Credits: TOI

The idea of introducing long-term bike rentals came about in response to the COVID-19 pandemic - even though each bike was sanitsed regularly as per protocol, users might be justifiably apprehensive about riding a new bike every day. Hence, the opportunity to rent the same bike long-term was offered as an alternative to having to dock the bike at a designated station after using them.

Users can take part in the scheme by downloading the Smart Bike mobile app, or calling 044 2664 4440 for more information. 

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Pic Credits: Official Facebook/@smartbikemobility

In addition to the 500 Smart Bikes already available across the city, there are plans to include 1000 more, which would comprise 500 e-bikes and 500 mid-generation bikes. The electric bikes will have electric motors of varying capacities and would be capable of reaching speeds upto 25-32 km/h.

So, if you’ve been looking for a quick and affordable way to make your daily commute, this is surely the way to go!


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