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Bike taxi Veloriksha has started operating in Almaty, Tengrinews reports. The organizers of the project have launched 10 bike taxis in the city center. By the end of the year, it is planned to increase the number of eco friendly taxis to 50 and extend the coverage from the city center onwards. The prices for bike taxis, according to the organizers, won’t be higher than prices for traditional taxis.
Bike taxi Veloriksha has started operating in Almaty, Tengrinews reports. The organizers of the project have launched 10 bike taxis in the city center. By the end of the year, it is planned to increase the number of eco friendly taxis to 50 and extend the coverage from the city center onwards. The prices for bike taxis, according to the organizers, won’t be higher than prices for traditional taxis.
“Last year we noticed that there was a growing number of cyclers in the city. Seeing the growing number of tourists in Almaty and reinforcement of environmental policies by the city council, we came up with the idea of Veloriksha. City dwellers will enjoy the bike taxis becoming part of their everyday lives. Despite the fact that a bike taxi is not suitable for long trips, it can easily cover the distance of 3 to 5 blocks while their passengers enjoy a comfortable ride starting from 200 tenge ($1.07),” the Head of the project Sabit Sadiev said.
The Veloriksha project, according to Sadiev, is more social rather than commercial idea. Some of the bike taxis will be cruise between local sights and attractions and the taxi drivers will be telling passengers the stories behind these places and interesting facts about Almaty. “Our project stems from our desire to make the city more comfortable and interesting,” Sadiev said.
The bikes for Veloriksha were brought from South Korea. The bike taxis sport 8 speeds, electrodrive, break lights, direction lights, disk breaks and other necessary things. Passengers will enjoy the ride sitting on a comfortable two-seat coach. Luggage can be stored under the passage seat. During rainy days, passengers will be given raincoats. In the future, the company plans to install an audio system and Wi-Fi.
The bike taxi speeds up to 20 km per hour and strictly follows traffic regulations.
The launch of Veloriksha was supported by Almaty Akimat (municipal authorities).
In support of the upcoming Presidential Elections, the bike taxis have a banner that says 26 reminding Kazakhstanis the election date - April 26. “This is the date of the elections. We urge city dwellers to actively participate in the elections. We think it is an interesting and memorable reminder of the important date,” the organizer said.
On April 26, the bike taxis will be operating for free. So, if you see a bike taxi cruising down the street, hop on and enjoy the ride.
Reporting by Vladimir Prokopenko. Writing by Gyuzel Kamalova
