Chief Operations Officer and Head of Marketing at Alden Cycles, Rene Atiso, has reassured students that the bicycle-sharing service will resume soon after being temporarily halted following the test phase due to operational challenges.
Now the Alden Cycles is a startup tackling transportation challenges at the University, aiming to provide students with an affordable, eco-friendly, and efficient means of getting around campus.
Speaking to Univers News, Rene Atiso explained that the lack of diverse transportation options on campus inspired the project.
He explained the relaunch, which was initially expected earlier, had faced delays due to the Christmas break and ongoing administrative procedures.
However, Rene assures students that the team is working hard to get the bikes back in operation as soon as possible.
“We know students are eager to use the bikes again, and we appreciate their patience. We are working tirelessly to speed up the process and bring the service back”
“Personally, I’m a student as well, and we realized that transportation alternatives are not many. The primary mode of transportation was usually taxi or ride-hailing apps, which meant a lot of people were walking to class every day. So, we identified a gap and introduced bicycles as a viable solution. It’s faster, healthier, and safer for the environment.”
The bicycle-sharing system was first introduced under former SRC President Frank Tsikata, with 35 bicycles placed at strategic locations like Diaspora Halls, Jubilee Hall, and Mensah Sarbah Hall. Students could unlock and use the bikes via the Alden Cycles app at a rate of 20 pesewas per minute. The pilot phase aimed to analyze consumer behavior and student response.
According to him, after the test phase of the Cycles, the service was temporarily halted due to operational challenges.
“The app was ready, the bicycles were ready, but to operate as a business in the university, there are rigorous administrative processes we had to go through. We also needed to build infrastructure, like bolting racks to the ground and installing signs to educate students on how to use the service,” Rene explained.
Alden Cycles is now collaborating with university management to expand the service to additional locations, including Legon Hall, Pent, and the Legon Gate to accommodate non-resident students.
“We are looking at building the infrastructure first. For instance, we want to ensure that there are racks at both halls and lecture halls so students can ride from Diaspora to GCB or NNB and park conveniently.”
He also revealed plans to expand its services to other universities such as KNUST and UCC, where demand for bicycle-sharing is already growing.
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Story by: Jeffery Elikem Apasu | univers.ug.edu.gh
