[LoneTraveller]

Likes:
-Seamless pickup/drop off
-Easy to ride
-Well maintained fleet
- Pickup and Drop off at Yulu Zones ensure that the vehicles are not parked in random locations, like on top of a flyover or in a drain.

Dislikes:
-Yulu app needs fine-tuning
-No emergency number.
Only Chat option in the app.


This week, my gang and me went on a little adventure with the Yulu Miracles. We covered a total distance of almost 30kms, rode through all kinds of terrain and seasons thanks to Bangalore's ever-changing weather. For those who do not know what Yulu Miracles are, they are rental electric mopeds from a company called Yulu. Signing up on the app is a breeze. A driving license or a helmet is not needed. They have a top speed of 25km/hr.

The plan was made out of the blue. We went to the nearest Yulu Zone and hired five mopeds that had at least an 80 percent charge. The entire process of hiring the mopeds was seamless. Simply scan the QR code on the moped, details like the amount of charge in the scooter and the distance that can be covered would show on the app. If there’s sufficient charge on the scooter, press START on the app, else choose another scooter. There are no physical buttons on the scooter to Start, Pause or End the ride. It is all done via the app.

Initial Impressions

This was the first time we were riding an electric vehicle. All of us were liked the acceleration and zero sound. The upright riding position and the extra cushiony seat makes the ride very comfortable. The seat height is low, so everyone can ride it. Filtering through traffic is a breeze with this.

The moped is built tough, keeping in mind how people in India generally treat rentals. The battery makes it heavy, two people are required to lift it, and if the moped is lifted off the ground, the security alarm starts ringing, but the sound is so meek that no one would even realize that the alarm had gone off.

There is no suspension, so one needs either slow down on bad roads or just stand up and ride through them. I would recommend slowing down. The brakes are superb. The moped comes with a bell, which sounds similar to a bicycle bell, but different design. It has auto-headlamps too, and have sufficient illumination.



The Ride and Yulu’s Customer Support

-Out of the five mopeds, only three mopeds completed the entire ride. One moped’s battery died and the other friend had to return home for an emergency. He joined back later.

-We were in a village when the moped’s battery suddenly died. It had displayed a 90 percent charge when we picked it up, but all of a sudden it simply died, and the wheels got locked automatically.

-We were now left stranded with a defunct moped, with money still being deducted from my friend’s account as the ride had not ‘officially ended’ yet as we were far away from a Yulu Zone. (Rides can be ended only at a Yulu zone.)

-We tried contacting Yulu’s customer support. However, there is no phone number given in the app, the only option is to write to them and raise a ticket. But that does not ensure an immediate response.

-My friend tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app. That is when he spotted the Live Chat option present on the login page. One can access this only by logging out of the app. This is a terrible design flaw.

-In the chatbox, he typed down the situation. He got an immediate response. He was asked to park the moped safely on the roadside and proceed. The Yulu person also informed him that the ride had ended already. That is when we discovered another loophole, the ride ends when the app is uninstalled. The correct amount of money was deducted and no extra charges were levied.

-We safely parked the moped on the roadside and proceeded. Now my friend was riding doubles in one of the mopeds. Yulu does not allow it, but in this situation, we had no other choice.

-The rest of the ride was great. The mopeds easily climbed up a steep slope with a loose gravel surface, rode through slush and yet it remained composed. There were two mini water crossings along the way, went through them, had to baby the moped on bad roads as it has no suspension. Riding through the empty village roads in this silent vehicle, doing nothing other than just twisting the throttle, no worries about pedaling or even shifting gears, just enjoying the scenery, hearing the birds chirping, the leaves rustling and feeling the wind on your face feeling is a different experience.

-We passed through at least three villages, and the mopeds were the star attraction. Everyone identified that it was an electric vehicle and all of them had the same question, ‘How much range does it give? What is the price?’ We explained to them that these are rentals so we did not have much idea about the actual MRP. We told them about the rental rates and they were disappointed. Regarding the range, we gave a guesstimate of around 60-70kms, as that is what the app showed when we had started our ride.

-A bunch of school children came along to check out the mopeds, with just one look at the handlebar and they were already explaining the controls back to us. They were aware of how to rent it too. Then they started asking us to let them ride it. So we slowly proceeded from the village. It was getting dark and we decided to head back and drop off the bikes at a Yulu Zone. Our friend who had left halfway joined back on the way.

-As we rode along, it started raining. We stopped by at a petrol pump to seek refuge from the rain. That’s when I noticed that the headlamp has been automatically turned on. The White LEDs do provide sufficient illumination on a dark road, but in the rain, the light gets scattered, so it’s useless for the rider as a headlamp. But it will anyways make the moped easy to spot on the road for other road users.


Petrol? Nope I am good.

-As the rains subsided, we resumed our ride and safely reached the Yulu Zone. The satisfaction of completing this crazy adventure was priceless. As soon as I ended the ride and hopped off the moped, a school kid came, scanned the code, and took off. These mopeds are a hit!

-Yulu charges Rs.10 for unlocking the bike, then charges Rs.10 for every 10 minutes The entire four-hour journey cost us Rs.245 each.


Charge left at the end of the ride

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the 2-wheeler Section. Thanks for sharing!

[GrammarNazi]

Cool review. Reading how it's easy to manuver helped allay my genuine fear of mistakenly killing those using these e-bikes in traffic. Most of the riders are kids and are seemingly indifferent to basic road-safety.

[Asish_VK]

I've used it couple of time
It's a bit costly compared to say, bounce . Also one can only park at dedicated spots , which is a positive as well as negative

These are cute little things and are a big attention magnet still . Especially when kids love them . When I first rode one to my apartment, every kid wanted to have a ride

[sagarpadaki]

What is the range of the electric bikes on a full charge?

Ideally, the app should not allow bikes below a certain charge level to be unlocked from a safety point of view

[KrisTvpm]

Thanks for the concise review, have been wanting to rent one of these just for the heck of it and to give my elder one a taste of how a real bike would ride, before I can tutor her to ride my 2wheeler, her valid age to ride one still some years away!

The way we people treat rentals is nothing worth bragging of Regularly see the bounce/vogo etc. stranded on bridges/thickets/mid of the road etc., with helmet/seat/mud-guard etc. missing/mutilated. Why are our lot so uncivil & callous !?

[AJITHAAA]

Also be aware that there is a mafia going around trying to fleece people if under age folks/ kids are found riding these e-scooters. They will threaten to report to YULU and finally like everything else will settle for an apt amount. And if you do not speak the local language be prepared to pay more.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by AJITHAAA

Also be aware that there is a mafia going around trying to fleece people if under age folks/ kids are found riding these e-scooters. They will threaten to report to YULU and finally like everything else will settle for an apt amount. And if you do not speak the local language be prepared to pay more.

Well, information must not leak to Yulu, even if it means paying ransom to the local rookie .

Looks like such things happen only in our country.

[nosfreak]

Rented this as well. Its a real fun to ride except when you have bad roads, since it has no rear suspension. Found it reasonable for the price and pick/drop points.

[ankitsharma]

Have tried this a lot of times. Now a days you get a call from their AVR if the battery is low or if you have paused the ride and that period is about to end.

[ninjatalli]

I tried renting a bike from a set of 5-6 bikes available outside Electronic City Ph1 over a month ago. However none of the bikes were getting selected so decided to go with a bounce vehicle instead. Wasn't aware of the Chat functionality, else that would have sorted the issue I guess.

Anyone else faced this issue?

[ankitsharma]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

I tried renting a bike from a set of 5-6 bikes available outside Electronic City Ph1 over a month ago. However none of the bikes were getting selected so decided to go with a bounce vehicle instead. Wasn't aware of the Chat functionality, else that would have sorted the issue I guess.

Anyone else faced this issue?

Yes I did a lot of times especially outside tech parks. Probably a glitch in the system or high traffic time.