Chandigarh, Jan 25 (IANS): Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, Banwarilal Purohit, on Wednesday launched the Public Bike Sharing System (Phase III), adding 1,250 more bicycles at 155 new docking stations to the earlier fleet.

The Project of Chandigarh Smart City was started in December 2020 on a pilot phase with 250 bicycles and 25 docking stations, followed by Phase I in August 2021 with 1,250 bicycles and 155 docking stations.

The project's second phase began in February 2022, with the addition of 1,250 new bicycles to the fleet. A total of 3,750 bicycles are now available at 465 docking stations across the city with the launch of Phase III.

Users can pick up a cycle for Rs 10 for half an hour from any of the docking stations, while the charge drops to Rs 5 per half an hour for those with annual membership of Rs 500.

The bicycles can be used after registering on the Smart Bike App.

Listing the benefits of the project from pilot phase till date, CEO Smart City Chandigarh, Anindita Mitra, said there were 2,00,000 plus registered users and 8,30,000 plus rides, covering 33,00,000 km.

A major achievement has been the 750 plus tonne CO2 emission saved from December 2020 till this month.

Purohit congratulated the Chandigarh Smart City and said the Public Bike Sharing Project is a step in the right direction towards reducing air pollution and promoting a healthy lifestyle among the residents of Chandigarh.