An Uber-style revolution, this cycle sharing app promises a ride— anywhere, anytime! 

City dwellers will now have to get used to the sight of rows of bright yellow cycles parked along the side of the streets. This is as part of the launch of the dockless-bicycle sharing platform, ofo, that made its debut city-level entry in Coimbatore. An Uber-style revolution, this China-based app promises a ride— anywhere, anytime—and possibly a fillip in bike usage. Prior to their launch in the city, the platform was operational within gated communities, college campuses, universities and IT parks across seven cities including Coimbatore, Chennai, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and New Delhi. “As the only city from Tamil Nadu in the top-10 list of the Smart Cities Mission, Coimbatore was an ideal pick to mark our entry onto city roads across the country. We have also received overwhelming support from government officials in the city and a demand for our cycles among users from all age groups has been remarkable,” says New Delhi-based Rajarshi Sahai, director of public policy and communications, ofo.  

Pilot episode
Rolling out 2,000 cycles, the brand looks at releasing more bikes into the system when the next phase of the launch is operational. On download, the app, available on Android and iOS, will allow users to locate the closest bike available. A QR code acts as the user’s key to wheel the cycle away, with a manual number lock available if your Bluetooth isn’t working. 
Parked at RS Puram—DB Road and TV Samy Road — we find our ride on TV Samy Road and decide to take our bikes for a spin. A bright yellow app-home screen welcomes us with details like the total distance travelled,  carbon emissions, the rider’s ofo score and most importantly the calories one has burnt over the course of the trip. “Our mission is to solve the last mile transportation problem in India’s urban areas and we see immense potential in Coimbatore for ofo’s convenient, affordable and low carbon way of travel.” GPS-enabled, the company can monitor the movement of the cycle, pinpoint locations and prevent them from going outside designated city areas. 

Settle a score 
But will the station-less bikes lead to cycles piling up on random walkways and blocking pedestrian paths? “We are constantly monitoring our user behaviour, based on which the user is scored. A higher rating would enable the user to avail discounts and offers.” With designated parking slots only currently available in RS Puram, we cycle through the streets on DB Road and try to breach the boundaries of the designated area. The geo-fencing technology kicks in and we manage to jam our cycles in the process. Sheepishly, we push our cycles back into the prescribed zone and cycle around looking for a parking spot as illegal parking will reflect on our user score. On bike maintenance, Rajarshri tells us that all cycles are routinely checked by a team every day and are released back into the system after repair and inspection. “Riders can also report if a cycle is damaged or illegally parked using the app,” he adds.
Having mapped the entire city, ofo is charting their mobility plan based on response to the bicycle sharing system and will look at launching in Saibaba Colony, Ramanathapuram and other areas. Offering free rides up until April 23, users will be charged `10 per hour and can pay using an in-app wallet or make use of their PayTm account.