It is now a choice between sweltering on a cycle or running helter-skelter for public transport, with the public bicycle sharing initiative launched in South Mumbai on Thursday morning. Bicycles have been made available for rent for the public at five locations: near Churchgate station, at World Trade Centre (Cuffe Parade), near the Radio Club on the promenade opposite the Strand Hotel, at Colaba Post Office and near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (CSMVS) or the museum.

The plan

Shreyansh Shah, associate director, ‘MYBYK’, said, “We now have a bicycle stand at these five locations and the initiative is operational. We have a total of 50 bicycles as of now. These are pedal bicycles, though we plan to introduce e-cycles in the near future.” The initiative—implemented under the BMC Public Bicycle Sharing Policy—has been supported by Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and former corporators Makarand Narwekar and Harshita Narwekar. According to Shah, people can use this 24/7 facility by downloading the ‘MYBYK’ app on their cell phones. “We have three plans… a daily plan and a weekly and monthly plan, which allow the user to take the bicycle home or to the office and use it to perform multiple trips during the period,” he added.