30.MOTOR BIKE BUSINESS

A radical transport congestion solution based on smartcards is poised to give a whole new meaning to the phrase 'on your bike', writes Nick Mathiason.Adshel, the country's biggest supplier of bus shelters, litter bins and other street furniture, is close to agreement with councils in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Kingston to introduce the SmartBike - a novel way of encouraging commuters to cycle.Would-be cyclists buy a card that entitles them to use a bike around town before dropping it off at any one of up to 15 docking points at railway stations, bus garages and key city centre areas.The scheme has already been tried out in Rennes, northern France, with much success.

Andy Moug, Adshel's commercial director, says the scheme will be free to local councils. In return, Adshel expects to get free advertising hoarding sites for its clients.'The only real risk we have is if someone steals the bike, but because they are so distinctive they won't get far,' he said.Transport pressure groups are enthusiastic. 'We are in favour of this initiative and look forward to seeing its wider application, said a Transport 2000 spokesman. 'With a company like Adshel, who maintain and manage bus shelters, it is a plus point.

This veggie Bullet can use both fresh and used vegetable oil. In fact, Balu gets some of his from the Spirit restaurant in nearby Connaught Place, whose owner, he says, is just as concerned about pollution as he is.
Chris, a New Zealander, who also owns a veggie Bullet, quips, “I’m partial to olive oil because I can dip a bread stick into the tank for a quick snack.But getting a bike to run on veggie oil wasn’t easy. First, the Bullet engine had to be replaced with an imported special-purpose engine. The fuel system of the bike needed a special filtration system to remove impurities in the oil. Importantly, using veggie oil as fuel does not reduce the bike’s performance.

But is a veggie bike for everyone It takes about six weeks for a veggie bike to go from order to delivery. Moreover, fresh veggie oil isn’t exactly cheap, and collecting used oil from restaurants demands a great degree of humility and commitment.The inspiration for the veggie bike came from the Delhi government’s attempts to clean up the city’s air by using CNG fuel for all public transport. “When I first came to Delhi, the sky was grey,” he recalls. “Today, blue skies are quite common.Balu, called so for his bear hugs, has been modifying Bullet motorcycles ever since he landed in India eight years ago. He has set up the Bulletwallas Club to help Bullet aficionados from India and overseas.