The rollout of shared bikes in the city of Kigali that was expected to start in July has been delayed due to issues related to upgrading the mobile application that will be used for the service, The New Times has learned.
In May, city authorities announced that they had collaborated with GURARIDE, a smart and green mode transport company based in Rwanda to launch a campaign to promote non-motorised transport in the city, in which people would start accessing shared bikes on the streets of Kigali from July.
GURARIDE immediately started installing docking stations across the city, where bikes would be accessed by users free-of-charge for three months (starting from July), and later on, "fair ride costs” were expected to be subsequently introduced.
Some of the ridesharing smart bikes on a docking station at GURARIDE headquarters in Kigali. The rollout of the bikes, that was expected to start in the City of Kigali in July, has been delayed due to some technical issues. Photo: Dan Nsengiyumva.
However, until now, people are not able to access bikes from these docking stations, since GURARIDE is currently trying to update the mobile application that should be used for the cause.
"We are doing some final touches on the app, that is why it (the rollout of shared bikes) took long,” said Pamela Umuhoza, the Project Manager of GURARIDE.
"We had the app before, but we wanted to upgrade it slightly, for example, by incorporating some concepts that we were getting during the survey we made,” she added.
Currently, she said, the company is looking forward to activating the app on Sunday, August 22, and after that, they will communicate the date on which the rollout of the bikes will start.
What Kigali residents say
Richard Ruhimbana, who is acquainted with shared bikes, as he used such means while staying in Beijing, China as a student, says the people or companies implementing such initiatives should be ready before putting bikes on the streets.
"When you deploy the bikes on the streets, and people cannot access them, because they are locked, it makes them lose the morale. So it is better for such companies to work on their apps and payment systems before putting bikes on the streets,” he said.
Speaking to The New Times, Teddy Kaberuka, an economist, said that people are wondering what the problem is because they have been seeing few of these bikes docked in different areas.
"The investors in such initiatives should make sure that the operational necessities like IT infrastructure are ready so that the business starts, and people will get to know more about it when it is going on,” he said.
He lauded the bike-sharing initiative, saying it is good for the environment.
"This kind of project in a sense responds to the environmental protection strategy, reducing air pollution, but also providing answers to transport challenges. We know that when cities are growing, people need more means of transport,” he said.
Besides, people who have used the shared bikes in Kigali during the trial phase testify that it is a cool way to move around the city.
A number of people had a chance to ride the bikes earlier this year, for instance during the car-free day, or by going to the offices of GURARIDE and ask for the service.
Raissa Leinyuy Kinkoh, a youth from Cameroun who is pursuing her studies at the African Leadership University in Rwanda is one of those who have ridden the bicycle.
"My friends and I wrote to GURARIDE via Instagram and fixed a day for going to their office. A few agents unlocked some bikes for us. We had a tour, and though I didn’t know how to ride I had a lot of fun,” she said.
Daniel Ngamda Asaah, 23, another Cameroonian student at the same university described it as "a fun experience.”