#TOFFEECHRONICLES: Raj of LetzCycle
Next time you’re stuck in traffic (which I’m guessing will be all too soon), take a look at the two-wheelers slipping past, like liquid passing among rocks. With bicycle-sharing providers mushrooming on the horizon, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of the sleek cycle commuters whizzing past us. Looking uber-cool, getting their workout and saving the world, all while enjoying the wind in their face. We at Toffee are, in a word, hooked. Loving the promise of lowered pollution, less traffic, easy last-mile connectivity, and perhaps even a fitter population. More than anything, loving the idea of getting back on a bike again.
Today we’d love to introduce you to Raj Chauhan, a bike freak whose stint in Beijing saw him fall in love with the concept of bike sharing. He’s brought it to our doorstep (literally) in the form of his startup Letscycle.
What’s bike-sharing exactly and why are people so excited about it? Well, it’s bike rental, except you don’t have to worry about returning the cycle. You check the app to find a bike near you, unlock it with the QR code, ride it to wherever you need to go, then literally just leave it there. Which is why it promises to get loads of people out of cars — not only riding bicycles to their destinations but also availing of public transportation since this neatly solves the last mile connectivity issues. And while you will be out in the pollution and traffic, this also promises to be a neat long term solution to both those annoying problems.
Raj understands the issues and stakes here. To counter the popular wisdom that Indian cities do not have enough infrastructure — safe bike lanes for example — he spent a month logging around 500km on Delhi roads. He found that he was passing traffic stuck in a jam, whizzing past bottlenecks and gridlocks. A nostalgic freedom he knew as a child and reconnected with in college. He understands the biking culture and knows the time for it to spread virally is now.
…something happened just yesterday which I appreciate. I was riding my bike near Delhi University in the evening and the returning ride to my home was roughly 10 KMs, on the way home I took a short cut, across a stretch of mud and grass, it was pitch black and I couldn’t see the path ahead, then a biker followed me the whole way and guided me with his head lights until I rejoined a proper road. It was a small act of kindness and proved that even without infrastructure like China, you can still ride a bike and there are enough people on the roads who will support you.
Support is the word. At Toffee, we love that there are these great communities out there, changing the world, pushing boundaries. And we want to be the bridge between these communities, pooling our support, looking out for each other. So if one cyclist takes a fall, she can count on us to see her through her recovery. That knowledge, that guarantee of support, that’s the stuff that frees us all to get out there, battling the system.
Our Commuter Toffee, featured this week, has your back. Because no matter how you commute, it’s probably the most dangerous thing you do (unless you’re part of an underground street fight club, that is). We’ll help you get back on your feet and back on the street, pedalling furiously onward. Cheers and pedal on, pedallers!
