SmartBikes users want operator city Corporation to ride smart

CHENNAI: The well-received SmartBike initiative by the Greater Chennai Corporation is facing a roadblock with users complaining of several concerns about using the bikes.

Many disappointed users claim that despite navigating through the SmartBike application as per instructions on the phone, glitches in the app and network concerns ultimately force them to give up. Hence, users request the department concerned to rectify the concerns.

“I have been using the SmartBike since it was introduced in 2019. Because of how efficient it was in the past, I recommended it to many of my friends too. However, the present condition of these bikes is disappointing,” said S Ravi, an IT professional living in Mylapore.

Ravi said despite the application mentioning the bike was ready for the ride, he physically cannot unlock the bike parked at the docking station.

“I faced the issue at Saidapet Metro a few months back. However, I recently did not find any bikes parked at the station. The SmartBike application allows us to scan the bike only if we have Rs 50 in the account. However, even without using the bike, Rs 6 gets deducted,” added Ravi.

When DT Next visited a few Metro stations in the city, it was found that most stations did not have any SmartBikes at the docking station or those parked cannot be unlocked.

Another SmartBike user, RS Vinisha, a college student said, “I was unable to unlock the bike I scanned at Koyambedu Metro station. However, the SmartBike application started noting the riding time and Rs 5 got debited from my account.”

A reaction from officials, however, could not be elicited despite repeated attempts.

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