“The bicycle is
a simple solution to one of the world’s most complicated problems”. It’s not quite clear which visionary said
it first, but it has aptly found its way on the home page of a multi location e
bike company.
With the world and
humanity at large learning to dumb it down with simple living, reducing carbon
foot print, especially with life lessons learnt in the time of ‘Corona’ , e
biking one of the biggest happenings in the world of clean, non motorized
transport is making its way through Goa, which does have an active cycling
community. They cycle hundreds of kilometers around and out of Goa meandering
through village roads, snaking themselves through steep inclines and roads
hugging the coats. But the hope is that even those who are not long distance
endurance cyclists will start using pedal assist cyclists to move. Not just for
leisure but even for day to day commuting
While the e biking
space is now hogged by new age travelers who rent an e bike to see Goa (and
other places where this is available), locals too are expected to peddle, power
up and move soon. All that’s needed is for the those developing ‘Smart Cities’ to
implement plans to have cycling lanes to accommodate a growing community of
cyclists who can make this an efficient alternate transport system, without the
government having to invest much , apart from basic infrastructure.
Abhishekh Dwivedi
launched LetsPlayy with the intention of popularising the idea of shared
mobility. He was interested in spreading this idea amongst the local population
but given the dynamics of the state, most of his business comes from tourists.
The tourists who hire the e bikes are young Indians and Indians who are
concerned about the environment, foreigners and elderly foreigners. The
popularity of the concept is enhanced by the fact that even if the cycle runs
out of charge, one can still pedal it courtesy the seven gears and reach one’s
destination safely. The ebike guarantees 60 kms on one charge and takes 4 hours
to re charge. The company has presently 15 cycles which are parked in Vagator
with various hostels. The company charges Rs. 300 per day. Dwivedi said the
idea was certainly gaining popularity and the two years in operation had been
an interesting experience. The e bikes are made in India and he smiled and said
when they first started there were barely five manufacturers in the country
that made e bikes. Now he was receiving two calls a month from various
manufacturers based in the country. He however said he was getting a lot many
calls from China every month who were now the top guns in this business.
The idea of
popularising this concept amongst Goans is very good but will it work. Brian
Soares President of Cycling Goa said “People have to understand that EBike is
just a facility, people have to realise that unless and until they are using a
good high-end cycle it can get very difficult to pedal with the engine on the
cycle. I don’t think the locals will be keen. The tourists will be a very good
market. People who cycle regularly will not be keen on using it. The average
Goan, I really don’t think so though companies are free to try and enthuse them
to take this up”. Kunal Malhotra of Probyk the outlet that retails various
international cycle brands said “Cycling is slowly gaining popularity in Goa
and perhaps in due course Ebikes will catch the attention of the average buyer.
Right now, there is no demand but then I suppose give it time and demand will
be created”.
Domestically there
are around 50 players in this market and in Goa there is also B Live which is
the market leader. Focussed on the group tour market, the company has done
approximately 6000 tours in one year. Focusing on guided tours the experience
Sandeep Mukherjee COO and Co-Founder said they were focussed on providing a
guided experience that was eco-friendly, pollution free and great fun. This he
said was the first sustainable tourism initiative in electric vehicles in Goa
as well as in the country. This he said was a guided experience for the user
which was eco-friendly, pollution free and great fun. The rider he said had the
freedom to ride anywhere around Panjim. The cycle had a top speed of 25 kms and
also a pedal that could be used. Anyone could use from a teenager to anyone in
their seventies. A licence he said was not necessary. The service he said was
very popular and interestingly 60%-70% of users were Indian. According to data
compiled about preferences tourists coming to Goa with regards to activities to
be conducted outdoors, the company came in the top three. The company has
expanded to ten locations around the country but Goa remains their
headquarters.
It
remains to be seen in the years to come if e bikes become a common site on the
roads of Goa or if it increased in popularity amongst tourists.
