Chandigarh, Sept. 5 -- City's ambitious Public Bike Sharing (PBS) project, once hailed as a step toward sustainable transport and a pollution-free future, is now struggling. The city residents are complaining of crumbling infrastructure and poorly maintained bicycles and cycle tracks across Chandigarh.

Launched in December 2020 with 250 bicycles and 25 docking stations, the project expanded rapidly, with the third phase in January 2023 bringing the total fleet to 3,485 bicycles across 465 docking stations. Each cycle is GPS-enabled, accessible via the SmartBike mobile app, and comes with safety features such as front and rear lights, bells, and reflective strips. The plan was to scale up to 5,000 bicycles at 614 stations under the fourth...