The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has unveiled its 4th generation “Make in India” Public Bicycle Sharing System (PBSS). This revolutionary system, funded by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, integrates advanced hardware, software, and firmware technologies to promote ecofriendly transportation solutions.

The inauguration ceremony, attended by Dr. Subhas Sarkar, Minister of State for Education, witnessed the unveiling of this groundbreaking initiative in the presence of Prof. V K Tewari, Director of IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Amit Patra, Deputy Director, and Prof. Debapratim Pandit from the Department of Architecture & Regional Planning, among others. The PBSS initiative, developed under the umbrella of the PUBBS (Provider of Urban Bicycle Sharing System) project, introduces a range of indigenous products designed to facilitate hassle-free public bicycle sharing. One of the pivotal components of this initiative is a smart electromechanical IoT module for locking bicycles, complemented by a user-friendly software interface. The key features of the PUBBS system include Smart Locking Mechanism, Customizable Solutions and Cloud-Based Services. Prof. V K Tewari, Director of IIT Kharagpur, expressed pride in the institution’s role as the pioneer of India’s first indigenous smart lock for bicycle sharing systems.

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The initial deployment of the system at the Technology Guest House, offered free of charge for a limited period, marks the beginning of a transformative journey towards sustainable urban mobility solutions. Prof. Debapratim Pandit, the principal investigator of the PUBBS project, emphasised the versatility of the product lineup, which includes Bluetooth and GSM-GPSbased variants, as well as semi-automatic and fullyautomatic locking mechanisms.

He highlighted the potential of PUBBS to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, enhance last-mile connectivity, and stimulate entrepreneurial ventures through its user-friendly design and cloud-based infrastructure. In addition to the PBSS initiative, IIT Kharagpur’s City Future Research group has developed PUBBS Transit v2.0, India’s pioneering Integrated Planning and Operation Software for Bus Transit Operators.

This software, enriched with artificial intelligence and data visualization capabilities, promises to revolutionize depot and route-level bus operations management, further advancing India’s urban mobility landscape.