Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the nation urging every citizen to do her bit to save fuel amid the US-Iran war, several government departments, including union and state ministers, took to alternative transport modes. On May 15, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Parvesh Verma took a bicycle ride to reach the NDMC Convention Centre.

Despite these sporadic incidents, the Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system—one of the key sustainable mobility projects proposed by cities under the Modi government’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM)—is struggling to gain traction in several Indian cities.

The PBS system was designed not only to reduce traffic problems but also pollution.

The fast-paced implementation of the PBS projects under the mission, which ended in June 2025, and the post-Covid surge in cycling had raised hopes that bicycles would become an integral part of last-mile connectivity in Indian cities, just like in New York, London, Paris and other countries. However, it has not.

In the past few years, the steady decline in ridership, incidences of vandalism, poor maintenance of the PBS system, and the absence of seamless cycling infrastructure have hampered the project’s success in several cities.  

Curiously however, cities such as Varanasi, Bhopal, Lucknow and Indore are planning to either expand the existing network or launch new PBS projects. And learning from their past experience, cities such as Bhubaneswar are trying to revive the project.  

Launched with much fanfare, why are cities struggling with low ridership?

Smart Cities: Low Ridership

Cities such as Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area are among the few cities with a dense PBS network. Yet low ridership is a continuous battle.

Take the example of Chandigarh, often referred to as the “garden city.” According to Chandigarh Municipal corporation official, it has registered just an average ridership of 150-200 trips daily.

“We have deployed close to 5,000 smart bikes (one of the biggest PBS networks in the country), and set up 614 docking stations in Chandigarh. However, the response there has not been very encouraging,” said D V Manohar, chairman of Smart Bike Mobility.

Nearly 713 km of dedicated cycling tracks were developed and around 23,000 bicycles were deployed in several cities under the SCM, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs data. But encroachment on cycling tracks, poor planning and integration with motorised traffic as some of the reasons for poor response to PBS projects.

Urban transport expert Shreya Gadepalli, who was involved in planning the Centre’s ‘Cycle4Change’ initiative to promote cycling post-Covid, said that while cycling tracks have been developed in some cities, little has been done to create a seamless network.

“Creating disconnected pieces of cycling infrastructure is useless; cyclists need a safe and attractive network that provides them end-to-end connectivity. A combination of dedicated cycle tracks on large arterial roads, traffic calming measures that reduce motor vehicle speeds on other streets, redesigned intersections that make crossing safe, and frequent road crossing opportunities that remove long detours creates a seamless network that encourages everyone to cycle. Last but not least, tree shade dramatically improves cycling comfort in a hot and humid country like India,” Gadepalli said.

Gadepalli said that civic authorities have to ensure that cycling infrastructure is maintained well and free of encroachment.

To address the issue of low ridership, Manohar said that there is a need to create public awareness about it. “While we are trying to create awareness about the initiative, we also need the support of civic agencies as they can reach out to a large section of the public. Unfortunately, we don’t get required support from civic authorities, either in promoting the facility nor when our properties (bikes and docking stations) are vandalised,” he said. His company has deployed around 10,000 smart bikes across several cities, including New Delhi, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kota.

Cities plan to new cycling projects and revive old ones

While several cities are struggling with low ridership, Varanasi, Lucknow, Indore and Bhopal are planning to either start a new PBS project or expand the existing network. Lucknow, Indore and Bhopal have invited bids for the expansion of the existing network.

In the temple town of Kashi Vishwanath, the Varanasi Municipal Corporation is all set to launch the PBS project with 360 smart bikes and 60 docking stations in August end, said a senior Varanasi Smart City official.

Learning from the past mistakes, the Bhubaneswar municipal corporation is planning to revive the PBS system, which has been defunct for some time now, in some pockets.

“Due to frequent cyclones, a lot of cycling infrastructure got damaged. Now whatever we have been able to retrieve, we plan to deploy it in certain confined areas such as the zoo or near museums where people can easily cycle. We are also planning to develop a dedicated shaded track for cycling,” said Chanchal Rana, commissioner, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.

Global Experience

Public bike sharing exercise has been a success in several European countries. However the initiative has not gained much acceptance in Asian nations. India is not alone. An Observer Research Foundation report said that “replicating operational models from Western contexts in Asia may not produce identical or optimal outcomes in developing regions.” The report added that urban dynamics, including varied land-use patterns, higher population densities in urban cores, differing levels of traffic safety, infrastructural limitations, and inconsistencies in law enforcement are some of the reasons for low acceptance of PBS model in Asian nations.

As some cities continue to invest in the PBS system, urban transport experts say that efforts should be made for its better integration with motorised traffic and also to make it more accessible to people.

Can The India Model Be Successful?

Clearly for the model to take off in India, several issues need to be resolved. Infrastructure, funding mechanism, awareness along with political and public will need to be addressed.

Aswathy Dilip, managing director, ITDP India, said, “For PBS to be successful, we have to make it more accessible to people, especially those from economically weaker sections who actually use cycles to commute. A lot of them, especially women, might not be able to use it as they don’t have smartphones to access the app-based PBS system. There should be some manual intervention available to the docking stations.”

She said that there is also a need to plan the cycling infrastructure properly. “The PBS system can bridge the last mile connectivity gap between mass transit and residential neighbourhoods, markets and education institutions etc. For its efficient use, the authorities have to focus on developing safe cycling infrastructure and also ensure that the cycles are in good condition.”

(The writer is an independent journalist. Views expressed are personal.)