Mobility players Bounce and Vogo on Thursday petitioned central and state governments to re-evaluate urban commute post-Covid-19 as representatives of the shared mobility industry.
The companies factored in certain changes that could be necessary in terms of mobility in “a post-covid-19 world.”
Along with the petition, the mobility players have also released a detailed whitepaper titled, “Urban Mobility in the face of a pandemic: The new reality and role of Shared Mobility” backed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
The petition and the whitepaper, state that self-driven shared mobility could be one of the safest modes of commute in a post-pandemic shift while highlighting the benefits of the same.
The report cites a recent survey by B.PAC stating that “commuters showed high apprehension to use public transport, primarily from a safety point of view.” The industry representatives highlighted the role of shared mobility in terms of self-driven two-wheelers to help with commute post lockdown amid the stress on public transportation and the issues with private vehicles.
“With reduced disposable income for the next couple of months due to salary cuts and lower business earnings, the affordability of personal vehicles will be a big concern,” the report read.
“Self-drive scooter solutions would help economic activity resume safely,” it said.
“Mobility is a fundamental right & is the single most critical element for an economic reboot. We believe that self-drive shared scooters can be an effective partner for the government in this endeavour,” the companies further said in their petition.
The report further highlighted the benefits of two-wheeler services for mobility including minimum exposure to risk, affordability and reduced load on public transport systems.
It further mentions how bike taxi players can leverage technology for further assistance.
“Facilitates contract tracing, and can help authorities, fight Covid-19 as self-drive scooter sharing is powered by IoT (Internet of Things) where all interactions are mapped and audit trails are maintained,” the industry representatives wrote in their petition.