Since August 11, TNGo public bicycle service has appeared in 6 inner-city districts of Hanoi, with 1,000 bicycles within 12 months. This is the public bicycle project in Hanoi implemented by the city government in conjunction with Tri Nam Group Joint Stock Company - the unit operating similar public bicycle rental systems in Hai Phong, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City from 2022.
From August 11, Hanoi residents will begin to see blue bicycles lined up on sidewalks around parks, tourist attractions, or near bus stations, train stations, or shopping malls.
The Hanoi City Public Bicycle Project is part of the Urban Bicycle Project, divided into two phases. The first phase lasts 12 months from the start of the service. During this phase, Tri Nam Group is expected to provide 500 mechanical bicycles and 500 electric bicycles at 79 rental stations scattered throughout 6 central districts of Hanoi: Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Thanh Xuan, Hai Ba Trung. Each station is arranged with 10-20 public bicycles for people to test. The second phase is expected to be deployed in 2024 with the number of bicycles increasing to about 3,000 at 350 locations, with the goal of expanding the service to other central districts and neighboring areas.
Although the target is to put 1,000 vehicles into operation, the actual number at present is only 600, with 500 being mechanical bicycles. In the near future, when Hanoi receives the remaining 400 vehicles, the whole city will have a total of 94 to 100 stations.
There are 79 bus station locations for people to pick up or return vehicles.
Sharing with Travellive, Cuc Nguyen (26 years old, office worker) said: "The steps to rent a bike are quite simple, this type of service not only helps protect the environment, improve health but also costs very little. As someone who likes cycling, instead of having to go to the store to rent a bike to exercise, now I can easily go to any location. In the future, I will definitely use this service regularly."
To rent a public bicycle, people need to use a smartphone, download the TNGo app, and deposit money into their account through online payment gateways. When using it, users will have to scan the QR code attached to the body of the bicycle. The wheel lock is equipped with RFID signal recognition technology, so after scanning the payment code, the bicycle lock will be opened.
When using, users will have to scan the QR code attached to the vehicle body.
For bicycles, the cost for each 30-minute rental is 5,000 VND and 10,000 VND for electric bicycles. In addition, customers can also buy daily and monthly tickets if they need to use them. During the rental period, customers can park in many places, but they need to pay attention to locking and preserving the bike carefully. There will be staff operating to support continuously and call if they detect an unusual situation, such as parking for too long without locking.
When the trip is complete, users can return the bike at any station without having to return to the original station location. Each bike also has a GPS system integrated with the app to record the user's travel route.
This is a project to diversify public passenger transport, connecting bus stations, railway stations, urban areas, shopping malls, etc. to help people move conveniently within Hanoi and promote tourism development.
After the public bicycle service was put into use, it received a positive response from the people of the capital. This shows that the demand for bicycles is very large, especially among students, students, or tourists.
Hai Yen (22 years old, Ba Dinh) said: "I chose a public bicycle to cycle around West Lake in 3 hours, costing only 30,000 VND. Using this service, I find it very convenient, especially because I don't have to return to the original station I rented it from."
After the public bicycle service was put into use, it received enthusiastic response from the people of the capital. This shows that the demand for bicycles is very large, especially among students and tourists.
