The easiest way to explain Cycle Chalao is…
that is it is a member-based bicycle sharing system in India. The buses and trains do not pick you and up and drop at the doorstep of your home or office, so we we want people to register as our members and we give you bicycles to reach your destination. No motor vehicles and lots of peace!
The idea came from…
an auto-rickshaw driver’s advice – “If you are in such a hurry, you should ride a bicycle in this city!”
Cycle Chalao is an important innovation for India because…
growing income levels and cheaper motor-vehicles will lead to major gridlocks – non-motorised transport is the only future if our mobility is to be effective. And what’s better than a bicycle sharing system for population of more than 1.5 billion moving around every day?
The best experience for Cycle Chalao so far…
was sitting with the country’s top think-tanks and policy makers and evolving a bicycle sharing policy for the country!
The biggest challenge to overcome…
is to convince the Indian Corporates about the outdoor advertising potential of our business model and get them on board. We want to find sponsors for the business model like Barclays and Citybank have done in London and New York.
Three mentors or supporters who have been influential on the Cycle Chalao journey…
Prabhat Agarwal – Founder of India Cycle Service from Gudgaon, India; Dr. Meena Galliara – Chairperson of Social Enterprise Cell in NMIMS University; and, Pooja Warier – Co-founder at UnLtd India.
The next step for Cycle Chalao is…
to tweak the business model if the corporate sponsors do not still understand and make it happen through other evolved methods.
I believe the opportunity for Collaborative Consumption in India is…
the biggest in the world! Sharing is embedded in our culture; we learn collaborative consumption from our values and parents. It can shatter the existing business models and build the newer and much more powerful ones, and it’s about time!
Challenges to widespread adoption of Collaborative Consumption in India are…
that there are far fewer attempts of collaborative consumption than needed. The understanding of the private corporations and public authorities is yet to be evolved. Once attempted and there are a couple of successful models, it will spread like wildfire! Convincing investors about Collaborative Consumption is a BIG challenge for start-ups.
Three other great examples of Collaborative Consumption in India I admire…
Public libraries are one of the most successful models; Community kitchens active in my city and other places are great; and, Informal group savings/investment models for lower income classes.
