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The bicycle sharing system -- JoBike -- is ready to hit the city streets once again on November 15-20 nearly 20 months after it suspended most of its operations due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The app-based enterprise aims to transform the utility of two-wheeler as one of the main modes of transport in the nagging jam-packed cities.
Even during the Covid-induced lockdown, the bicycle-sharing service was available in several residential areas including Mirpur DOHS in the capital.
Earlier, JoBike rolled out services in Jahangirnagar University two months after its successful piloting in Cox’s Bazar in January 2018.
It eyes Chittagong University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology University as well, apart from Jahangirnagar and Dhaka universities.
“We are planning to gradually expand our operation in all major cities by launching countrywide franchises and introducing more e-bikes to our fleet,” JoBike CEO and founder told The Business Post.
JoBike has already one and a half lakh registered users as of now.
However, the revenue earnings plummeted soon after intermittent shutdowns began from March last year when the raging pandemic put everything on hold.
Reza undertook several attempts to turn the Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity through using his app-based JoBike but all his efforts fell flat.
Initially, he introduced the bicycle services in the capital’s Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas on June 24 last year by partnering with Dhaka North City Corporation and ICT Division, but to no avail.
JoBike also joined hands with HungryNaki and started food delivery services. “Our Jodelivery initiative – food delivery for HungryNaki customers -- ended up in a complete fiasco. We are working hard on how to patch up all operational flaws,” said Reza.
The service on the DU campus called ‘DU Chakkar’ saw a big surge in profit when it was launched in October 2019 with only 100 bikes, recalled the venturist.
On the university campuses, service charge is Tk 2.5 for the first five-minute ride and Tk 0.40 from the next minute. In other residential areas, it is Tk 1
per minute.
The JoBike CEO argued that he is mulling over expansion of his existing fleet of 150-200 bicycles to embark on mega commercial operation and is waiting for a shipment of 500 new bicycles from China.
In order to guard against bicycle theft, JoBike would be equipped with a lock system that requires scanning QR codes by smartphones to unlock the two-wheelers.
Besides, setting up of GPS tracker and GEO fencing technology will help track and monitor each bicycle under service. In order to increase JoBike operations in other cities, the entrepreneur is now craving for investment both from public and private sector.
JoBike won a place in the best 26 startups on ‘Bangabandhu Innovation Grant 2021’and received a grant of Tk 10 lakh.
How to rent JoBike
To rent a bicycle from JoBike, one has to download the mobile application and open an account. The app would show the nearby docks with available bikes. After entering the payment information a QR code will be provided, which needs to be scanned to unlock the bikes from the dock.
