Cycles have become a lifestyle statement: Arjit Soni, Founder, Mybyk
Founded by Arjit Soni, a chartered accountant, in 2014, the company offers safe and hassle-free rides according to the users’ needs and convenience.
Let’s read what Arjit has to share about his journey, the inception of this company, the motive behind starting this company, and much more:
Q. In the era of climatic change and pollution problems, how important is to switch to cycles than vehicles like bikes and scooty?
Arjit Soni: It is quite evident that cars cannot grow beyond a point as parking is the constraint to their growth. And therefore, people will have to switch to public transport, which in return will cause problems like connectivity which makes it less accessible and convenient.
Whereas, cycles as an alternative and sustainable mode of transport are a great medium for short-distance commuting but not really practical when distance gets long.
Hence, MYBYK, with which we are addressing both the limitations of public transport and cycles by bringing them together.
Q. Since 2014, what kind of changes have you witnessed in bicycle industry and consumer interest?
Arjit Soni: Bicycle industry hasn’t changed at all and in fact, in India it is the most conservative industry.
As long as consumer interest is concerned, I can definitely say that from being a social stigma (still present in lower-income groups) cycles have now become a lifestyle statement.
Q. Renting and sharing also brings a lot of damage issues, how do you deal with them?
Arjit Soni: My education has helped me here. Being a chartered accountant, my strength lies in designing control processes and fixing up accountability. And this is what differentiates us from the rest of our competitors. So unlike ofo, mobike and even India bicycle-sharing operators who failed miserably due to theft and vandalism, I am proud to say that our theft and vandalism ratio is next to zero.
Q. Apart from the balance in the environment, what is the motive behind this start up?
Arjit Soni: The vision is to help the country go in the direction of becoming a developed nation. I think if given proper attention, with this idea, the country’s wasteful expenditure on flyovers and road infrastructure can be reduced. Also, it can help in minimising the dependence on petrol.
Q. What all geographical areas is your company targeting to reach in the near future
Arjit Soni: For now, we have a huge expansion coming up in Ahmedabad and we are focused on that. We have 2 more opportunities in Mumbai (we won’t the STAMP 2019 challenge and get to pilot with Mumbai Metro Line 1) and Udaipur.
Cities such as Delhi, Indore, Bhopal, Rajkot, etc with a Mass Rapid Urban Transport such as BRTS or METRO are ideal cities for us to expand as our value proposition lies in the first and last-mile connectivity.
