Mumbai: Tiring walks and a longing for autos are a part of the student experience at the sprawling 500-acre campus of IIT Bombay. Ready to amp up this sluggish commute, IITians are set to launch 5 electric autos along with 25 accelerator-assisted electric bicycles which will run parallel to the current e -buggy shuttle service on campus, learned The FPJ.
While the electric autos are making a debut in a trial run next month, sharing bikes had already made an appearance on IIT’s Powai campus before. “IIT Bombay has already had sharing bicycle systems in the past, but these e-bicycles will come with an accelerator that will help students get to their classes faster. The bicycle initiatives had previously faced issues with the lock systems so we are ensuring that the problem does not repeat itself,” said a representative from IIT’s Student Transport Committee.
Students feel the heat with rising commute rates
Many students who couldn't bring their own bikes to campus have utilised the sharing bike system in the past. Few others relied heavily on Powai’s auto rickshaws that ply students around the IIT grounds. However, high metre rates and cases of rash driving have left many IIT students wary of this option as well. “The e-autos are an affordable option for IITians as the fare metre will be at Rs 13. We also see that Powai auto drivers will refuse to take students to a certain destination if they don’t want to go that way. Bringing e-autos, which will be driven by company personnel, will solve this problem as well,” said the Student Transport Committee member.
For students who have witnessed the rush hour at the IIT campus, and are often late for class because of it, this launch comes as a big relief. “Just step into the IIT at 2 pm!” exclaimed Aryan Gupta, a BTech student. “Even though we have shuttles, they are always full as almost the whole campus moves from hostels to labs around this time. Those of us who live at the far end of the campus have to walk for nearly 1.5 km right after lunch to reach our labs on time,” he added.
Once favorite, e-buggies fall short of impressing students
The twelve electric buggies which were launched in May 2022, as reported by The FPJ, were quick to become a student favourite. It wasn't long before these vehicles fell short as they managed to ferry only five routes between 8 am and 8 pm and took up to four hours to be charged. With students from 17 hostels using the buggies that ferry every twenty minutes, many told The FPJ that they cannot be solely relied on.
“If we miss the buggy then we have to get through the ‘SOM Parvat’ (a steep hill near IIT’s SJSOM building) to reach our classes. The parvat has become an infamous reason for students to even bunk their lectures,” said Radhika Saxena, a second-year BTech student.
“Jokes apart, the girls' hostel is tucked in a corner and we have to run from one class to another to attend all our lectures. Transport reform was really needed at the IIT,” she added.
More plans for a smoother ride in the pipeline
Apart from aiding the commute with e-autos and e-bicycles, the committee also plans on bringing in fast chargers for the e-shuttles to improve their frequency. GPS systems with real-time 3D tracking and on-call shuttle service for students with disabilities are at the forefront of their thinking too. With the ongoing heatwave and the upcoming monsoon, IIT Bombay students look forward to riding around the ‘insti’ with simple commute options.
