CHENNAI: The bicycle-sharing system that was introduced 20 days ago is gaining popularity in Anna Nagar and Marina Beach as more than 2,121 people have registered on the mobile application, according to Smart Bike officials. About 4,120 rides have been completed in the last 20 days and the highest was on Sunday — when 708 rentals were recorded. On Sunday alone, about 285 people downloaded the app and completed registration.N V Ram of Smart Bike said the most sought-after locations are Marina Beach and 18th Main Road in Anna Nagar, followed by Shenoy Nagar and Tirumangalam metro station. “There are about 212 cycles in 24 locations right now. We have not placed them at Valliammal school as there are some issues with setting up a cycle parking station there. There is a huge demand for cycles and about 50 people register daily on the mobile application. We are getting regular feedback from users to improve our service as well,” he said.Guru Kalyan, a first-year student who stays near Marina Beach, is a regular user. “We enjoyed riding the cycle. We rode from Marina beach to Besant Nagar as a group. But, we would prefer if more payment options, like wallets, are included in the app,” he said.G Leelavathy, a freelance beautician who lives in Ashok Pillar, wants more bicycles and parking stations near her area as well. “I started using the cycles as I go to Marina beach every day for a walk. But the cycling station opens only at 8am and shuts at 8pm, hence we could ride for half-an-hour only. If the cycles were available closer to home and earlier during the day, I would have daily gone for a ride to Marina and returned. They must revise the timing as students and office-goers will ride after 7pm,” she said. Despite the response, officials are dealing with issues like the backlash from the public for parking cycles on footpaths and users taking cycles home instead of parking them at the designated stations. “We are trying to find more parking stations. Some people are taking the cycles to Nanganallur and Padi and we are tracking them. People are also taking it home, instead of using it on an hourly basis. Once the free trial period ends, we will charge people Rs 5 per hour and Rs 9 for every extra 30 minutes,” said Ram.Raj Cherubal, Smart City CEO, said that they would soon expand to 5,000 cycles. “Once we set up enough cycles in Anna Nagar, we will expand to other areas based on the demand,” he said.M Govinda Rao, the deputy commissioner, Works, told TOI that they were glad that people were using the cycles.“Once, we expand to various locations, we are sure it will be used for last-mile connectivity than recreation,” he said.

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