The ride’s objective was to emphasize safe cycling infrastructure and achieve more significant health equity for city residents.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 6: Shipyaari and Smart Commute Foundation, under their initiative Cycle Chala City Bacha, held a mega cycling event on the occasion of World Bicycle Day on June 3, 2022. The 22 KM ride was jointly flagged off by Nayan Ratandhayara, the CEO and Co-founder of Shipyaari and Firoza Suresh, the Director of SCF, at 6 AM from Shipyaari HQ at Malad and concluded at Bandra Reclamation.
The bicycle rally was greeted by hundreds of bystanders and fellow cyclists on the way. Close to 200 Cyclists converged at the iconic “I love Mumbai” installation near Bandra-Worli Sealink. The event concluded with felicitations of Bicycle Councillors and Marshals who collectively work towards combating climatic changes for a better future for our younger generation.
Reports have warned about the perils of global warming, and cycling has proved to be one of the most cost-effective means to counter this hazard and contribute to sustainable development. Thus, on World Bicycle Day, Shipyaari and SCF joined hands to invite the Cyclist community for a momentous ride across all 24 wards. The ride’s objective was to emphasize a safe cycling infrastructure and achieve more significant health equity. The event focused on drawing attention to the benefits of using a bicycle as an equitable, cost-effective, and sustainable means of transport.
Being the logistics partner for this mega event and a responsible supporter of sustainable goals, Shipyaari humbly sponsored cycling T-shirts, medals, trophies and healthy refreshments for the participants. Apart from managing the pre-event logistics pertaining to the T-shirt movement across the length and breadth of Mumbai, Shipyaari also extended its support by renting bicycles for the participants who had the enthusiasm to participate but didn’t have the bicycles.
Flagging off the ride, Nayan said, “I used to ride my bicycle to my school in Junagadh, but all was lost as we entered this fast-track life in Mumbai. But I have tried to revive my love for cycling again. I always believe that creating a safe biking culture in Mumbai and across India is critical to our march towards affordable and zero-emissions mobility. The celebration ride like these will help expand biking across Mumbai and, in turn, help our city do the hard work of crafting a shared and just future for the residents of our nation and our planet.”
On occasion, Firoza Suresh, the founder of Smart Commute Foundation and popularly known as ‘the first Bicycle Mayor’, said, “Mumbai is a linear city and has the potential to become the cycling capital of India (by 2030) as bicycles are the future, and global cycling literacy is ever-increasing. Above all, it is a great platform to bring together the citizens of Mumbai bonded by a love for cycling and a will to contribute to the betterment of the city they belong to. The time has come for the people of Mumbai to actively participate in shaping the city. By bringing cycling into our everyday commute, we are making a strong statement on what we envision the streets of Mumbai to become – open, safe, people-friendly and green. The idea is to celebrate World Bicycle Day not just on June 3, but every day and unite the cycling community with support from like-minded organizations like Shipyaari.”
Leading the ride, Vishal Totla, the COO and Co-founder of Shipyaari, said, “With the rise in global warming, we need to look for greener alternatives continuously. As an organization, we have always encouraged green practices internally and externally. I live a very green life – My home in Aurangabad has a solar plant, and as a family, we often participate in events like planting trees etc. On the business front, we are extensively working on plans to support usage of EVs in logistical movement.”
Welcoming participants at the destination, Rahul Karwa, Mentor and Growth Catalyst at Shipyaari, revealed the plans for creating initiatives to adopt sustainable practices within the organization. “We are trying to create an incentive system for our employees to use sustainable practices like cycling for commuting to work and minimizing paper usage in our office. Sponsoring this event is our way to announce our green vision symbolically.”
Shipyaari is a Mumbai headquartered SaaS-based logistics aggregation platform. The tech platform helps reduce the paper consumption in logistical operations substantially, and as an organization, Shipyaari operates with immense mindfulness when it comes to sustainability.
Cycle Chala City Bacha, an initiative of the Smart Commute Foundation (SCF), focuses on an active citizen movement promoting non-motorised transport, health and fitness, with a vision to make Mumbai the cycling capital of India.
If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact pr.error.rectification@gmail.com to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.
Vaishnavi Prakash
