Township rolls out e-rick service to give residents last-mile ride home

  • | Thursday | 19th April, 2018

“They can take the e-rickshaws to drop and pick children between their houses and the school bus stop during mornings and afternoons. From June onwards, the facility will be extended to all residents and will operate from 8am to 8pm. That is where the bus stops to pick up our children,” said Charu Singh, a resident. The idea put forward in this mail struck us and we decided to contact them,” he said.“The firm isn’t charging us yet. Children wouldn’t have been able to walk in this heat.

GURUGRAM: The residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Fresco Apartments in Sector 50, Gurugram, has roped in a private e-rickshaw firm for operating e-rickshaws within the township.This is the first instance in the city of an RWA tying up with such a firm to offer pick and drop facility to its residents, especially to school/crèche going children. The facility was started on a trial basis on Tuesday.Fresco is spread over 17 acres and has nearly 830 flats with over 3,000 residents.Parents who spoke to TOI sounded delighted with the new initiative as earlier they had to walk at least a mile from their houses to the school bus stop to drop their kids there as well as to pick them up after school.The move was prompted by parents’ worrying that their children would not be able to walk a mile in this intense summer heat. “Parents are extremely happy,” said Nilesh Tandon, president, Fresco President Welfare Association . “They can take the e-rickshaws to drop and pick children between their houses and the school bus stop during mornings and afternoons. From June onwards, the facility will be extended to all residents and will operate from 8am to 8pm. It will eventually become like Ola/Uber to commute a maximum distance of 5 km from Fresco at a very economical price.”Residents spoke to TOI about the benefits of such a service. “It is harmless to the environment. E-rickshaws don’t emit carbons. It’s a great initiative, especially for mothers like us who are required to walk almost over a mile to pick and drop our kids at the T-point of Deerwood gate in our case. That is where the bus stops to pick up our children,” said Charu Singh, a resident. “Our biggest worry has been this terrible heat. Children wouldn’t have been able to walk in this heat. The experience often drains all energy.”Residents said that most parents in the area were office goers and could have only managed to drop their children during mornings. “During afternoons, we are all at offices, so it would have been hard to manage without e-rickshaws,” said Raghav, another resident.“Many parents have the grandparents staying with them but they, too, would not have been able to walk in the heat to receive their grandchildren coming back from schools in the afternoons.”Tandon said that a few days ago, residents received a mail from the e-rickshaw firm, called Tumtak Technologies , offering its services within the township.“Recently, some parents had started to voice concerns about their children having to walk all the way to the school bus stops. The idea put forward in this mail struck us and we decided to contact them,” he said.“The firm isn’t charging us yet. We will work out all such modalities and take decisions on the same. But it’s for certain that we will sign up for this because charges are quite inexpensive.”“E-rickshaws are very common in Delhi but in Gurugram, the service hasn’t clicked yet for some reason,” said Seema Dutta, a resident. “Their batteries operate within small distances and are very efficient and cost-effective.”

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