ezBike is an app-based service which deploys electric bikes conveniently around the city and makes them available for use by the general public. Users can locate and reserve an electric bike parked near them using the ezBike mobile app, ride it themselves to their destination and park it in a designated zone, after which it becomes available for the next user to ride. The entire experience from registration to booking and payment is digital. Users pay Rs.5 to unlock the bike and Rs.5 per minute on their ride. Rides can also be paused so that users can stop and run errands while paying a reduced rate of Rs.2 per minute. Ezbike has partnered with Jazz through Jazz xlr8 to provide connectivity through Jazz sims and promote ease of payments through JazzCash. Mohammad Hadi, CEO of Roamer Technologies, said: “Only 10% of the Pakistani population owns a vehicle and mobility is still a largely unsolved problem. With ezBike we are providing access to shared vehicles to every individual in Pakistan. This is the next wave of disruption in mobility. It will be the most cost-effective, convenient, and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation in Pakistan. And in a COVID impacted world, self-drive provides a safe way for people to move around Islamabad while maintaining social distancing.”
Bike sharing companies are revolutionizing urban transportation globally, with over 100,000 bikes deployed across 88 cities today. The success of this model can be seen especially in neighboring India where Indian companies have deployed around 50,000 Bikes and have raised more than 400 million dollars in the past two years. Amin-ul-Haque, Minister of Information Technology, said: “It is a proud moment for Pakistan that innovative companies like ezBike are being launched in Pakistan. The future of Pakistan is in information technology and without creating new technologies in Pakistan, Pakistan cannot progress into the future. Electric vehicle technology is the biggest game changer for the mobility market and our government will support startups that want to leverage this technology. We would also like to acknowledge the role of Jazz in supporting the startup eco-system through the National Incubation Center and Jazz xlr8 enabling startups to scale effectively.” Roamer Technologies plans to deploy over 2,000 electric bikes within the next year and bring millions of dollars of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Pakistan. By launching Pakistan’s first bike sharing company, first electric Bike service, and first tech enabled self-drive service, the startup will provide tremendous value to middle-class Pakistanis while delivering huge social and economic impact to the country.
