A local company has proposed a pilot plan to introduce e-bikes to central Saigon in order to ease traffic congestion.
VnExpress reports that under the proposal, 1,000 electric bikes would be positioned near major bus stations and stops in District 1. The project would cost VND15.5 billion (US$683,000), and the trial period would last six months.
The hope is that this will convince commuters to switch from using personal vehicles to public transport, thus reducing congestion and pollution. If the trial run is successful, 50,000 more bikes would be added to other districts.
Tuoi Tre fills in more details on the plan, which has been created by Smart IOT Technologies Vietnam, a local software company. In order to use the e-bike service, commuters would install an app called Vimotor on the phone.
Then, they would find the closest bike, scan a QR code to unlock it, and then ride it to the designated parking area nearest their destination. Once the bike is locked again, a charge will be credited to the user's account.
The cost for the service will be VND3,000 for the first 10 minutes of use, after which it will cost VND1,500 for every five ensuing minutes. However, it is expected that the bikes will be free to use for the first one-three months of the trial period, the news source shares.
Smart IOT Technologies intends to install the 1,000 e-bikes at 74 locations around District 1, so that there will be a parking area every 200-300 meters.
The municipal Department of Transportation has sent the proposal to the city People's Committee for approval, meaning Saigoneers won't see e-bikes for rent just yet.
In April the city proposed a similar plan involving bicycles, but that has not yet come to fruition.
[Photo via Industrial-IOT]
