Research grant awardees of the Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP) 2017 challenge organised by World Resources Institute and Toyota Mobility Foundation, in Bengaluru on Saturday. | Photo Credit: K_MURALI_KUMAR more-in Four entrepreneurs who pitched solutions to improve the first- and last-mile connectivity to Namma Metro stations in Bengaluru will soon get a chance to execute their ideas. The Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP) challenge, which was rolled out over a period of one year in four stages, concluded on Saturday with 'Pitch Day' in which 13 projects out of around 80 entries were reviewed by a jury comprising mobility and urban transport experts. The four startups will be awarded research grants to execute pilot projects at select stations. The total grant of ?40 lakh will be shared among the four winners. The fifth winner, CiFoS (Citizens for Sustainability), has been selected as an enabler, and will help the other grant awardees with their pilot projects. “Strong last-mile connectivity has the potential to improve metro ridership by up to 15%,” said Pawan Mulukutla, Head-Integrated Transport, WRI India Ross Centre. At present, over 3 lakh commuters use the Namma Metro network every day. The projects will be supported by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), IIM-Ahmedabad and Urban Venture labs. The pitches on Saturday were followed by a conference on sustainable development of Bengaluru. Participants discussed congestion, land-use, infrastructure, transport, energy and some other issues. “We need to ensure that growth in Bengaluru, as well as other Indian metropolises, is balanced, organic and sustainable,” said O.P. Agarwal, CEO of WRI India. The winning solutions Grant Awardees 1: Quick Ride Maturity level: Generating revenue Profile: Quick Ride provides carpooling options and offers redeemable fuel points to ride-givers. The solution is automated from end-to-end and the application works in real time, making carpooling dynamic. The solution will have automated profile verification of riders and is legally valid. 2: Metro Bikes Maturity level: Generating revenue Profile: Already in operation at some stations, the company is proposing one-way rides on powered scooters for short distances. Scooters and bikes will be provided on rent from stations and other strategic locations in the vicinity of colleges, IT parks and commercial areas. The pilot was started three years ago and the company is looking to scale up its operations. Customer inputs will help in deciding new locations. 3: Hyperloop India Maturity level: Prototype stage TapRoute is an on-demand public transportation service, which aims to meld the speed and affordability of the Metro and the convenience of low-density vehicles, like autos and cars. The company consists of students from several engineering colleges around the country. Logistic details will be finalised once the project takes off. 4: Constapark Maturity level: Generating revenue Constapark promises to eliminate the hassle of finding parking space. It aggregates parking spots across the city and offers this information directly to users on their phones. It helps optimise parking operations while property owners earn more by enhancing occupancy rate. Enabler 1.CiFoS Maturity level: Idea stage Profile: Aims to build a Station Accessibility Index that will let commuters and mobility providers rate the existing accessibility levels at stations. This will be achieved through mobility indices allowing for solutions to improve services. The solution was liked by the jury and the model is not one that requires large funding support. While the solution is not directly related to the focus area of STAMP, it was felt that a city index would be helpful in building other infrastructure. Hence, the judges chose CiFoS as an enabler for the other awardees.

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