BEST to offer e-bike services at 180 bus stops from October

BEST has been doing public trials of this service since June. So far, 40,000 people have registered to use the e-bikes as passengers.

Officials said that initially, the service will be available at Andheri, Vile Parle, Juhu, Santacruz, Khar, Bandra, Mahim and Dadar. By June 2023, the fleet is likely to grow to 5,000 and provide services across the city. Soon, the service will be integrated with the BEST Chalo App, officials added.

The project is being implemented in partnership with Vogo, a self-drive shared mobility company. While the base fare will be Rs 20, Rs 23 will be added for every kilometre travelled. The these e-bikes will be driven at a maximum speed of 25 kmph, officials said.

The BEST is also planning special travel plans combining rides on buses and e-bikes. “Such integrated services will make it even more convenient to use buses to travel anywhere in Mumbai, and further boost bus ridership,” said an official.

How to ride e-bike

* First-time users can download Vogo app, complete one-time online registration
* Use app to find nearest e-bikes station. App will also display how many bikes are available at station, their current battery level and range.
* Users can use app to unlock a bike and start riding. They can pause their ride or end it and lock e-bike using app
* Payments to be processed automatically from user’s Vogo wallet at end of ride.