ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Syed Amin-ul-Haque has launched the country’s first electric bike-sharing service.
The first phase of the service called ezBike will be available in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and would be launched in all major cities of the country within a year.
At the launching ceremony, the minister said that ezBike would be a great option, especially for working women. The bikes would be available near stations of the metro-bus service in the twin cities.
Launched by Roamer Technologies, an Islamabad-based startup, ezBike is an app-based service that deploys electric bikes around the city and makes them available for use by members of the public to revolutionize transportation in urban areas.
Users can locate and reserve an electric bike parked near them using the ezBike mobile app, ride it themselves to their destination and park it in a designated zone, after which it becomes available for the next user to ride.
The entire experience from registration to booking and payment is digital. Users pay Rs.5 to unlock the bike and Rs.5 per minute on their ride. Rides can also be paused so that users can stop and run errands while paying a reduced rate of Rs.2 per minute.
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Addressing the launching ceremony, Minister for IT Amin-ul-Haque said that it is a proud moment for Pakistan that innovative companies like ezBike are being launched in Pakistan.
He said the future of Pakistan lies in information technology and the nation cannot progress without tech innovation. He said electric vehicle technology is the biggest game-changer for the mobility market and the government will support such startups.
He said that ezBike facility will be very useful for the masses and will also play important role in women empowerment. He said the ministry will continue supporting projects which will be useful for the public.
Mohammad Hadi, CEO of Roamer Technologies, said that only ten percent of the Pakistani population owns a vehicle and mobility is still a largely unsolved problem.
He said ezBike provides access to shared vehicles to every individual in Pakistan. This is the most cost-effective, convenient, and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation in Pakistan.
Bike-sharing companies are revolutionizing urban transportation globally, with over 100,000 bikes deployed across 88 cities today. The company plans to deploy over 2,000 electric bikes within the next year.
