Vandals take cycle project for a ride in Chandigarh

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 2

In another blow to the much-hyped public bike-sharing project, several cycles have been damaged or vandalised.

About 150 complaints of vandalism have been received in a month by the company. The firm found that some miscreants had tried to open its parts, some deliberately damaged it and at some places, two persons were seen on cycles meant for a single rider. Seats and lights of some of the cycles have been stolen.

‘3-4 plaints daily’

Every day, we get three to four complaints of vandalism. In a month, about 150 complaints of vandalism of bikes have been reported from different parts of the city. — Abhinandan, Operations in-charge

‘Police help sought’

The company has requested the local police to increase patrolling around the docking stations. It has also asked its staff to keep an eye on miscreants. In a visit to a Sector 29 docking station, it was seen that the outer layer of tyres of cycles had come off.

In one case, two unlocked cycles were found abandoned last month. During a field visit, MC SDO AK Dhadwal found them and called up the police and the MC. The cycles were dumped at the MC store, but the firm is clueless about the GPS-enabled bikes.

“Every day, we get three to four complaints of vandalism. In a month, about 150 complaints of vandalism of bikes have been reported from different parts of the city,” said Abhinandan, who is looking after the smart bike operations in the city.

In the wake of such incidents, the company has requested the local police to increase patrolling around the docking stations. It has also asked its staff to keep an eye on miscreants. In a visit to a Sector 29 docking station, it was seen that the outer layer of tyres of cycles had come off.

Earlier, after facing glitches with the Smart Bike app, cycle rides under the project, which was launched on August 12, were made free till September 10. However, till now, the glitches have not been fixed.

RK Garg, a social activist, said: “I had a terrible experience with the public-bike sharing. In Sector 27, there are five cycle docks. This morning, I went to a dock with three cycles — one out of order and two under maintenance. At a few docks, no cycles were there. I booked one with the mobile app, but faced hiccups in starting and ending the ride.”

In the first phase, 1,250 bicycles at 155 docking stations were launched in the city. However, glitches in the mobile app still trouble the users.