Now, ride an e-bike from Mumbai bus stops to your last destination; BEST launches new connectivity service

The e-bikes can be picked up from the bus stops and can be returned to any e-bike facilities that have been set up across the city. The base fare of the bike is Rs 20 and Rs 3 will be added for every kilometre travelled.
vogo

Photo: Twitter/Vogo

Mumbai: In order to ensure last-mile connectivity to the commuters after deboarding the BEST buses in Mumbai, an e-bike scheme has been launched by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST). The passengers can pick up e-bikes from the bus stops to reach the destination and can be returned at any e-bike facilities that have been set up at bus stops, and commercial and residential areas. The BEST is be providing about 1000 e-bikes across the city in the initial stage.
"Last mile connectivity is a big concern for commuters in Mumbai. People have to walk or take buses for short distances. To address this issue, we are introducing an e-bike facility. This is the first time in India a public bus service is offering such a facility," a senior official at the BEST said. The services is available at Vile Parle, Juhu, Badra, Mahim, Dadar, Santacruz, Khar and Andheri. By June 2023, the officials are planning to deploy 5000 e-bikes
The management of the e-bike facility will be done through a mobile app called Vogo. Users shall have to download this from Google Play Store and complete a one-time registration with OTP. The users can find the nearest bike station in the mobile app. Passengers can lock and unlock the bike using the app. It will also show the battery level and mileage range of the selected e-bike.
Passengers welcomed the announcement and hoped that it would help the commuters significantly. "Reaching the destination after getting off a bus in Mumbai is a tiring task. At times, we do not even get autorickshaws and have to walk a lot. This scheme will help a large number of people for sure," a passenger from Mahim opined.
The base fare of the bike is Rs 20 and Rs 3 will be added for every kilometre travelled. The bikes can ride at a maximum speed of 25 km/h. A driving license is not required to use the bike as they are gearless and low-powered.
The undertaking has been conducting public trials of this service since June and as many as 40,000 people have already registered to use the e-bikes as passengers, the officials said.
End of Article