TEHRAN -- An Iranian startup set out to provide a system based on Internet of Things (IoT) for its bike sharing service in Tehran in coming months.

Tehrani citizens can enjoy cycling in different parts of the city through downloading the startup’s app on their smartphone. 

The bikes were used for the first time by a group of Tehrani reporters, during a ceremony held by Tehran Municipality for a short biking tour on Friday, ISNA reported.

The startup will begin activity in coming weeks for Tehrani citizens, its public relations director Mohsen Arefi told the Tehran Times. 

The Members can check out a bicycle from a network of automated stations, ride to their destination and leave the bicycle safely locked for someone else to use.

Tehrani citizens can install the bike sharing app in their smartphone, which show the location of a near bike

The bikes are ready for use from six months ago, however, the infrastructures are provided for the market, the head of board of directors of Pak Charkh Iranian Company Hossein Qasemi announced in a press conference on Thursday.

The bikes have two GPS devices, which facilities their monitoring, he explained.

They are also equipped with puncture resistant tires and disc brakes, he added.

The citizens between 16 to 75 year old can use the bikes and the riders are provided with insurance coverage, he explained.

A total of 29 parking lots are now considered for the bikes across Enqelab Avenue, Keshavarz Boulevard, Beheshti Street and Motahhari Avenue in which the bikes are available 24/7 for citizens, he added. 

According to a report released by the docharkhehmag.ir, Tehrani citizens can install the bike sharing app in their smartphone, which show the location of a near bike, he said. 

Then scan the QR Code on the bike with the app and you receive a code on your phone and enter it on the bike's lock. 

The startup provide riders real-time data from each bike ride including carbon dioxide emissions reduced and calories burned versus driving.

The cost is economical in short distances and is not more expensive than bus riding in longer distances. 

The application covers the flat areas of Tehran in the first phase and they would be out of use in poor weather condition.  

 Tehrani citizens can install the bike sharing app in their smartphone, which show the location of a near bike

Why bike-sharing?

Smart applications and IoT may be great solution for urban commutes and air pollution in near future.

According to journals.plos.org, bike-sharing programs, with initiatives to increase bike use and improve accessibility of urban transit, have received increasing attention in growing number of cities across the world. 

The latest generation of bike-sharing systems has employed smart card technology that produces station-based data or trip-level data. This facilitates the studies of the practical use of these systems. However, few studies have paid attention to the changes in users and system usage over the years, as well as the impact of system expansion on its usage. 

Monitoring the changes of system usage over years enables the identification of system performance and can serve as an input for improving the location-allocation of stations. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of the expansion of a bicycle-sharing system on the usage of the system. 

SB/MQ/MG