Public bicycle sharing system devised by researchers at IIT Kharagpur
The Times of India (April 1, 2019)
KOLKATA: A team of researchers at the department of Architecture and Regional Planning of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur has come up with a dock-less public bicycle sharing system or PBS that could help even locals take on the might of multinational ride-sharing companies which run their own PBS.
The PBS devised at IIT Kharagpur uses Bluetooth and GPS enabled electronic lock which could be fitted to a cycle. Another lock version using GPRS is also being tested. The booking and payment interfaces are accessed through the users' mobile phone. A similar interface has been developed for operators to set up a customized PBS system, including parking stations, rate charts for usage etc. to run its day to day operation. The software has also been developed for an effective redistribution system of cycles to reduce operating costs and to determine the appropriate number of bicycles for a certain service area. (Read More)