Bike-sharing services in Dhaka

An estimate by the government concluded that traffic chips away about 3.2 million working hours daily. The infamous traffic causes vehicles to idle at dead standstills indefinitely and slows down daily routine commutes more and more to a snail's pace.

In a revolutionising attempt to take back a portion of those working hours lost in noisy traffic jams, the market for bike-sharing tech companies was born to reform the transport system of Bangladesh. Providing easy solutions of zipping past debilitating traffic in motorcycles, these companies have taken the treasure trove of 150 million people of the country's population by storm.

And leading the way? The ridesharing service that started it all — Uber! After launching its operation in 2016, the popularity of the US-based tech company saw rapid rise when it branched out to Dhaka, which only paved the way for other fish in the sea to follow suit. As of November, 2017, Uber introduced a fast way to manoeuvre around the congested streets of Dhaka — UberMOTO, a motorcycle-sharing service dedicated to providing fast commutes.

Other noteworthy players in the game are Pathao, the next best alternative and a close second, MUV Asia — both being popular bike-sharing services offering fast trips to your destinations.

Coining the term 'E-hailing,' these services work by first, downloading the app, pinpointing your destination while setting a pick-up point and 'hailing' or waiting for a motorcycle nearby to respond to your request. The rides arrive within minutes in each case and all what is left for you to do is take the backseat while the bike speeds through stand-stilled logjams.

All three of the services aim to improve urban mobility, cut through congestion and have integrated state-of-the-art GPS tracking systems in the apps, allowing you to see and share current locations. But a closer look will tell you exactly how one differs from the other.

UberMOTO

Although motorbikes are ideal for short distances, you have the option of making long commutes as well. In either case, motor cycle riders see more, evade better and are more attentive. Whether it's just one of these factors or some magical combination of all three, the conventional stereotype of equating motorcycles with the word 'unsafe' is not the case anymore. In fact, the riders have higher stakes and so, are more cautious on the roads.

From the moment you hop onto an UberMOTO, you will be met with courteous riders who know their ways navigating around the megacity. If you are a first time rider, they will be sure to advise you to retain balance at all times. You will be directed to hold your own on to the foot pegs of the bike and they will even portray an understanding nature to your nervous request of holding on to their shoulders for added support.

However, helmets for passenger safety are often overlooked but the physical condition of the automobiles is observed to be top-notch.

With the flat fare being Tk 30 upon which a per-kilometre charge of Tk 12, and a per-minute charge of Tk 1 are added, overall fares can be relatively expensive. Moreover, Uber is subject to dynamic or surge pricing where when demand for a vehicle exceeds the available supply, prices soar. This is especially a problem during rush hour. Easing your dilemma, however, are app-generated promo codes that bring down the total costs of rides considerably.

PATHAO

With a fleet of motorcycles and trained personnel at their disposal, finding your ride via Pathao is a holistic, simple and well-thought-out process. From food deliveries to offering swift commutes within seconds, Pathao is safe and convenient.

Perhaps the greatest win for the app is its availability that never lets up. What you will notice about Pathao is that riders will skilfully steer around vehicles strewn at odd angles on the lanes of the city in tricky sequences of manoeuvres. This effectively makes sure you arrive on time.

Employees of Pathao are not crowd-sourced and go through tiers of screenings, tests and trainings, ensuring safety for passengers. However, some could be trained better at navigation and decorum, while others could be instructed to install foot pegs as without it passengers sway awkwardly and rather dangerously by the sides.

Pathao is relatively cheaper with their base fare being Tk 25 and added charges of Tk 12 per kilometre travelled, along with Tk. 0.5 for every riding minute.

Riding discounts can be availed for the most part but surge pricing can offset the markdowns. Missing spare helmets can and do raise eyebrows.

MUV Asia

With this newly-released app, the goal is simple. "I want every single person to use the application daily. From offering speedy rides, food delivery and also instant courier service, MUV caters to all needs," explains Fahad Ibna Wahab, the Chief Operating Officer and founder of MUV Asia.

Championing an arsenal of 50,000 users, 7000 motorcycles and an excellent marketing team, MUV has expanded rapidly since its inception late in 2017.

If you are making a trip with MUV, you will be impressed by the expert navigation the drivers have been trained to show. They know how to honk through gridlocked automobiles, to manoeuvre to empty lanes, especially while heading to flyovers. Potholes and speed-breakers will be steered around and across to finally gain whooshing speeds of about 50 km/hr with the wind in your hair and sidelined infrastructure zoomed off to a blur. 

The commute is still safe with the riders reminding you of balance and comfort while background checks verifying national documents and driving license are all in due place. Moreover, the condition of the motorcycles are checked during registration of a new rider, although not meticulously. The rides are the cheapest out of the three.

With a spare helmet oftentimes provided for safe commutes, the fares are charged at Tk 49 for the first two kilometres travelled upon which rates of Tk 12 per additional kilometre and Tk 0.49 per minute ridden are tallied.

"Our main motive is customer prioritisation and to keep rides affordable at times of booming demand. Higher prices for the same distances will work against that motive," evaluated Fahad Ibna Wahab.

Regardless of the service you opt for, commuting in Dhaka is tricky with everyone tucking away their own horrid tales of travel gone wrong. Riding on a motorcycle, it's important that you let him know speeding above 40 km/hr is not okay if accelerating makes you fear for your life. Find your voice when you are being steered into the wrong lane. Communicate when the rider insists on taking the longer route to your destination. Riding motorcycles does not make for a relaxing journey. Be alert at all times.

Finally equipped with such time-saving apps and words of experience and caution, arriving on time will be much more doable now. What is demanded is sheer vigilance and racing against ticking clocks will not seem so impossible of a pursuit anymore.

Photo collected from Pathao website

Download links —

Uber

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubercab&hl=en

Pathao

goo.gl/cFSHH1

MUV Asia

www.muv.asia/app