IIT-KGP launches ‘Public Bicycle Sharing System’ to promote eco-friendly transportation

Kolkata, Mar 3 (PTI) IIT-Kharagpur has launched a Public Bicycle Sharing System’ (PUBBS) on its campus, as part of the premier institute’s initiative to go for non-polluting and green transport, an official said.

The cloud-based sharing system is available at a “minor charge” on a subscription basis so that it can be set up by individuals without specialised equipment and personnel, an institute spokesperson said.

The eco-friendly project is funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and there was a successful demonstration within the campus on a pilot scale last week, the spokesperson told PTI.

The mechanism involves a smart electro-mechanical IOT (Internet of Things) module for locking bicycles.

One bicycle-sharing app connects with multiple PUBBS operators featuring GPS location tracking and theft detection, energy-efficient hardware design and “locking and unlocking with robotic hardware driver”, IIT-KGP said.

“PUBBS is the first ‘Make in India’ smart lock for bicycle/e-bike sharing system. Currently, we have manufactured our first batch of smart locks (Bluetooth based), and we plan to deploy the system for the benefit of guests at the Technology Guest House on campus,” Institute director Prof V K Tewari said.

“We will make the system available free of charge initially for a few weeks, and then make it available at a minor charge,” he said.

Prof Debapratim Pandit of the Department of Architecture & Regional Planning, which has developed the ‘Make In India’ software, said, “It has the potential to promote entrepreneurship where the rental/sharing system can be deployed using our cloud-based services.”