Bicycle sharing service, Jobike, started its operation in Dhaka city on Saturday just one year after its introduction in the tourist city of Cox's Bazar last January.
The country's first two-wheeler on demand will now be available in Mirpur DOHS (Defense Officers Housing Society) on a pilot basis beginning with 50 bicycles.
As bicycle is a very environment friendly means of transportation, this kind of sharing service is very popular in different other countries like China and Singapore, said Jobike in a statement.
Top officials of Mirpur DOHS were present at the launching ceremony while Jobike Chief Executive Mehedi Reza briefed about the innovative city services.
Among others, Mirpur DOHS Society President Brig Gen Mahfuzul Haque, General Secretary retired Lt Col U Kan Thein, DOHS Youth Society President Tanzeem Mashroor, General Secretary Hasan Zarif Abrar, Jobike Co-founder Khan Helaluzzamna Ayon and Azhar Kudrat Khan Rumon, among others, were present on the occasion.
Apart from Cox's Bazar, the service has already been launched commercially in two public universities in Jahangirnagar and Chattogram.
Jobike Chief Executive Mehedi Reza said, "We got extraordinary response from our customers in those three places and that's why we have moved to the capital and are now targeting to launch the service commercially in other parts of the city within two months."
For every minute, a rider will be charged Tk 1 in Dhaka, the same as Cox's Bazar. However, on the two university campuses, the service is being offered for Tk 3 for every five minutes.
"Our plan is to make the service popular within one month in the capital and move for some residential areas like Basundhara," Mehedi Reza shared about the planning.
Jobike is a mobile application which enables users to find bicycles for use on a temporary basis. After downloading the application, users will have to open an account and then by scanning the QR code they can easily unlock the bicycles for use.
Photo: Courtesy
The Jobike application has already been downloaded over 35,000 times and it is increasing every day and on an average each day their bikes are being used about 3,000 times.
Currently, 100 bikes are running in Jahangirnagar University, 50 in Cox's Bazar and another 50 in Chittagong University, reports UNB.
However, within this week they will add another 50 bikes in Chittagong University as the demand is very high, Reza added.
Jobike also donated twenty bicycles for accelerating development works at the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, he added.
