Bicycle sharing systems are the key to sustainable mobility. They need to possess adaptation features to answer the different user needs and must be automated to avoid intermediaries between users and systems. It can also be used as a complementary model to other public transit such as cabs. Each station is a different product, the distance to a station and the bicycle availability are the main characteristics, and the set of stations with available bicycles is the consumer’s choice set. A key aspect of this system is that it does not involve intermediaries between users and bicycles: reserving, acquiring, and releasing a bicycle are all done automatically through software running on the system of user’s smartphones. The project is like a help instead of an item. The administration for the most part centres around the replacement of understudies just as the educators inside college grounds.
We propose the utilization of bikes as a method of substitution inside the premises of the ground. There as of now is a taxi administration running inside numerous grounds including our one of a kind. On the off chance that another help, for example, our own is presented, it would be useful for the understudies and the teachers both. The administration doesn't just incorporate the arrangement of cycles to the individuals; truth be told, it will be founded on an income framework based on membership.
- Firstly, to support the motion of "Go Green", adding the green points to our side.
- Then, it is an individual or two-person ride, making the rider the controller of their route and destination, no need for the unnecessary halts in between, and one can commute in their good mood.
- No need to worry about the change or cash to be carried, the service will be based on a subscription basis, providing each subscriber with a unique identity by which they can access the cycles, billable maybe monthly or so.
- To promote a healthy lifestyle among the campus students as well as other faculty members and also to lessen the overcrowding of the roads and subways of this densely populated college.
- There is a wide timeframe that allows you to rent the cycle for a long period without considering cost issues hence if there is ever an emergency an alternate mode of transport is always available.
- Bicycle servicing will also be done so that the students will not have to face the problems of servicing it on their own and also the maintenance will be governed.
- Also, considering other factors like the employment schemes, our project aspires to generate ample employment opportunities for the people living in thevicinity of the project implementation area.
What we propose is a service rather than a product. The service mainly focuses on the commutation of students as well as the professors inside a university campus. We propose the use of bicycles as a mode of commutation inside the campus premises. There already is a cab service running inside many campuses including our very own. If a new service such as ours is introduced, it would be beneficial for the students and the professors both. The service doesn’t only include the provision of cycles to the people; in fact, it will be based on a revenue system based on subscription. People will be able to use the service if they have subscribed to us, just like we do with amazon prime for example. The subscribers will be provided with the option to use the available bicycles inside the campus.
Our business idea is to create a secure and eco-friendly system of transportation for the students of VIT by renting bicycles using an online interface. This includes the maintenance of the bicycle and also the repair and other issues related to transportation. This project provides the customers with a service that includes:
- Renting a bicycle online. Choosing the desired bicycle via a website with an account based on subscription services.
- Collecting the bicycle from the nearest bicycle stand.
- Making a timestamp from what date and what time was the bicycle collected to what date and time it was returned.
Considering transportation has been the concern of every VITian due to the overcrowding of shuttle cabs and subways and also to sustain the environment and maintain a healthier lifestyle this project was taken into account. The remedial procedures for this process to function or the sub-processes are as follows:
- The bicycles have to be brought from the retailer. To lower the cost, an alternative method was taken into account. This method includes buying the bicycles left by the seniors from vit to ensure that we get the price as low as possible. A proper servicing company is required as a partner in the later stages of the project. Initially, the servicing will be done by the students themselves.
- A financial cost-effective analysis of all the transactions and repairs was taken into consideration. Technical analysis of the current competition as well as sponsorship required for smooth functioning of the project.
- A design of the business model based on the most cost-effective options considering the technical as well as financial aspects is to be considered and to keep in mind the time track of the events and the assumptions that are necessary for a start-up to run properly even in the future.
- A rollout plan of the business model launch is required. This requires various test runs and adds once before starting the model as there might be certain discrepancies that might get uncovered in the later stages so considering that precaution is better than cure, we need to “dry run” the project once before it comes into effect properly.
- Hostellers:- They form most of our potential customer base. Students have to walk from one academic building to another throughout the day.
- Professors:- Professors like students have to take classes in different places throughout the day.
- Shop owners/employees: On a campus like VIT, we can have all kinds of shops present for the necessity of the students. They can use the product to save time.
- Workers (Sweepers, Mess workers, etc.): They might need to use a ride to go to and fro from the main gate to hostel blocks.
- Wardens:- Wardens sit in hostel offices and travel almost the same distance as students.
- Day boarders:- They live outside the campus and can benefit more from our service.
Bicycles already present
Bicycle Stand Present
We have prepared an exhaustive business plan for our company considering various factors. We have financial planning and break-even analysis in place. We know about our market competitors. We have planned and decided on our go-to-market strategies and marketing strategies. Also, we have decided on our future products and services. All this planning and research shows that this business idea is feasible and has a great market for it. We will provide various plans or schemes to subscribe to our service through our website so that it is feasible for all kinds of customers. Cycles will be provided to the customers on demand.
Firstly, we will start with our college. But if we succeed in the future, we will extend this concept and also pursue it with other schools and colleges like SRM, Manipal, etc. These colleges are even more crowded than VIT. This can be applied in colleges and large societies where hundreds of people live in tall buildings. Parking is always a concern in such communities. Therefore, the best way to do this is to use the cycles to go to nearby places. Also including various other features like geo-tagging and other promising features will help us a lot in the future considering the technical advancements.