Hero Electric, India's largest manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, will roll out 100 e-bikes to help commuters in Delhi during the trial phase of the odd-even scheme.
The e-bikes will be made available at 15 strategic locations in Delhi and will provide free rides to commuters to give them last-mile connectivity.
"Each chosen location will have 5-10 Hero e-bikes with a driver during the rush hour between 8 am and noon, and from 4 pm to 8 pm, to help commuters reach last-mile destinations from a public point such as metro stations or a busy bus terminal, for no charge," said the company in a statement.
The company has partnered with Bikemate for people to book the ride with ease. Bikemate is an application available on Android and iOS, which lets commuters put in a request for a free ride in Delhi.
"The idea is to help officegoers and general commuters experience the joy and comfort of zero-pollution electric bikes and also to get to know the advantages of switching over to electric mobility,'' Business Standard quoted Sohinder Gill, chief executive of Hero Electric, as saying.
Delhi has exempted two-wheelers from the odd-even vehicle policy, which is targeted at reducing pollution levels in the national capital.
But experts say two-wheelers which run on combustion engines play a spoilsport for the new rule.
Out of the total 89 lakh registered vehicles in Delhi, 51 lakh are two-wheelers, and any policy aimed at controlling pollution should include two-wheelers as well, the experts have said.
Two-wheelers account for nearly 33% of particulate matter (PM) emissions in the transport sector, next only to trucks, a recent draft IIT-Kanpur report showed.
Even though motorcycles or scooters and bikes occupy less space and are fuel efficient, one two-wheeler is estimated to "emit almost as much as a BS-III standard car".
