Hanoi is to pilot e-bike rentals to link up its public bus system later this year. The Vietnamese capital will initially offer the service for free thanks to funding from the European Commission.
Vietnam Plus reports that Hanoi’s scheme will connect Aeon Mall Ha Dong with the Van Khe bus rapid transit platform until the end of 2023.
A mobile app will tracks users’ movements between the two destinations, as well as indicating battery levels and sending alerts if problems arise.
The move comes as the city looks to introduce another 100 bus routes before 2025 – a necessary rise after it passed a resolution in 2017 to restrict motorbikes ahead of a total ban by 2030.
VN Express reports that while air quality in Hanoi improved in 2020 – largely due to strict Covid-19 measures – it was still the 12th worst in the world.
"If the public transport system becomes better, the city can speed up the ban on motorbikes," said city chairman, Nguyen Duc Chung.
In large part because of pollution problems, Vietnamese motor vehicle manufacturer, VinFast, has also begun producing electric cars and two-wheelers.
Tech Wire reports that the firm currently makes three electric mopeds, with the entry-level model available for just 12.9 million dong (£400).
VinFast’s parent company, meanwhile, is busying itself constructing charging stations at shopping malls and residential complexes.
