BOUNCE: A Bike-Rental Startup Is Changing the Way We commute

Mass transit, such as the bus, metro, or even cabs and auto-rickshaws, no longer dictate your commute's convenience or time.

Popular bike-rental services have been providing 'rides' to customers for their local and hyperlocal commutes. These app-based services make you reconsider buying a two-wheeler because of the low-security deposit, online payment alternatives, and lack of parking issues.

Given the city's traffic density and the inconvenience of continual gear-shifting, most rent-a-bike companies provide a gearless selection of scooters for daily commuters.

Pollution is a widespread issue in metropolitan areas. That is why it is critical to keep your vehicle in top condition so that it can pass pollution testing.
Using reputable services to rent vehicles for commuting is sustainable and a win-win solution for both you and the environment.

People can now rent vehicles from anywhere using technology-enabled online rental services that can be accessible with a single touch or push of a button.

Everyone has a smartphone, and accessing such services appears to be as simple as pie. There are only three steps to take: Choose, check availability, and book the ride, and you're done.
Among the usage of technological tools in one's automobile rental business, the rental service option has a lot of promise for expanding services and enhancing access for a lot of people all around.

However, such online platforms have accelerated the expansion of the Indian automobile rental market while also allowing some offline service providers to change their business model and, more crucially, to go digital.

Overview

Bounce Scooter Share is a vehicle rental company that is gradually dominating the Indian commute landscape. Anyone can rent a Bounce bike as long as they have a license and internet connection. Vivekananda Hallekere, Anil G, and Varun Agni founded this Bangalore-based firm. The bounce startup tale is not dissimilar to the other startup stories we hear every day.

But it's also full of amazing learning opportunities, even more, amazing ideas, and astonishing perseverance.

Bengaluru is a rapidly growing metropolis with increasing commuting challenges due to traffic, and the city's burgeoning fleet of young workers find it difficult to access the city's pricey cab options. The founders of Bounce recognized the essence of the problem and developed their company concept around it.

The Inception

The seed was sown when co-founder Anil ordered a Royal Enfield motorcycle for himself after paying a hefty amount of money only to wait for more than a year to receive his motorcycle.

He realised that this was most likely a problem with any high-end automobile. So, instead of spending several lakhs of rupees on it and then waiting months and months for it to arrive, why not allow people to rent it? Finally, in 2014, he and his co-founders launched Wicked Ride, a premium bike rental service.

They transformed their passion for luxury motorcycles into a business that became popular and necessary for the general public.

When the first section of the metro line opened in Bengaluru, the founders realised that getting from the first to the last mile and vice versa would be difficult. the second section of the metro line is still under construction, thus a big portion of the city remains inaccessible. This intended to serve as the primary source of inspiration for the birth of Bounce.

They rebranded Wicked bikes to Bounce to assist Karnataka residents in their daily commutes by allowing them to rent two-wheelers. Before deciding which kind of vehicle to go for the team had contemplated different modes of vehicles but then decided to go with two-wheelers, as Bengaluru is a populated and fairly congested area.

They assembled a fleet of twenty scooters and began operating from the Baiyappanahalli Metro Station in Bengaluru, using the revenue produced by Wicked Ride. Initially, they used to hand over the keys to the bike and acquire properly signed documentation from consumers. They dispatched a team to another site to get the motorcycles and their keys.

But, after realising that they needed to scale up and that this could be accomplished by combining technology with the operating model, they opted to create an app that used the Internet of Things (IoT.) This is when Varun created software and technology that could be integrated into vehicles, allowing them to be operated without keys. This meant that consumers could unlock the bike using only their mobile phone's Bluetooth and data capabilities.

Toyota Mobility Foundation significantly contributed Rs 12 lakhs to Bounce. It was one of the company's earliest corporate investments. With that money, they put it into a simulation programme. 

Bounce has experienced a number of challenges, including theft and vandalism, but has always found a way to overcome them. Their faith in their technology, as well as their drive to constantly enhance it to suit the demands of an ever-changing user base, is genuinely admirable.

Services offered by Bounce:

The company offers two options for bikes the first one is a dockless model which lets people use the bike nearest to them. This option is very good for short trips after using the bike they can just simply leave it for the next person to use.

The second option is hourly rentals where people can rent the bikes for a stipulated time and this is great for longer trips.

How does Bounce works:

To use Bounce one will need access to a smartphone with internet connection, you have to have the app downloaded on your smartphone then you'd get an OTP, which would confirm to the Bounce crew that you wish to rent one of their scooters and get on your way. Also a great thing about Bounce is that they provide their clients with helmets so you don't even have to carry one .

Yes, you read that correctly: Bounce does not charge for petrol. The fee is based on the distance and time travelled. Fares start at 5/KM and go up to 0.5/Min.

After finishing your journey and arriving at your destination, simply cancel the trip on the app and park the scooter in a Bounce Zone, which are located across the city. In Bounce, you can also use the Pick and Drop feature.

Future Plans:

The company is now renting electric bikes and is selling its inventory of old bikes in order to reduce the cost per kilometre for users. Because of the nature of its basic and easy-to-use system, Bounce is fast establishing a user base in major cities.

Regular commuters are gradually coming to accept the usage of Bounce bikes to reduce their travel time, especially during peak hours when the roads are crowded due to a large number of four-wheelers on the road.

As of 2020 Bounce has more than 20,000 dockless scooters across Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Their home-grown electric bikes are now available for rent, but also they intend to sell these vehicles soon.

To improve the trip, Bounce began developing the hardware technology for the dockless scooter-sharing business. According to Vivek, the simulation study assisted them in determining the sector's need.

Conclusion:

The founders of Bounce intend to re-use and re-cycle the transportation system so that to reduce pollution, with a limited number of vehicles, more people can utilise it in turns. With fewer vehicles emitting carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrous oxide into the environment, renting a scooter that fits your purpose while emitting as little smoke is a good option both for you and mother earth.

As of today, it appears that the pandemic has not irreversibly harmed the Bounce startup storey, and things are looking up for them in the future while paving its way to sustainibility.

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