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TILT bicycle-sharing service set up at our apartment: Review

23rd January 2023, 17:06 by Rahul Nagaraj

TILT charges 50p per minute (aka Rs 30 per hour) for the bicycle ride.

BHPian SmartCat recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A few months back, a startup called TILT approached our apartment association and requested to set up a bicycle-sharing service. After signing a revenue-sharing agreement with the association, TILT set up its bicycle docking station at the complex:

Tilt is backed by YCombinator and Tatas, and the entire hardware/software has been built in-house. Each docking station has 4 bicycles. Apartment owners should first download the TILT app, select City, select Apartment complex name, pay Rs 100 to Rs 200 via UPI and scan the QR code to unlock the bike:

Now let's take a closer look at the bicycle:

Equipped with front shocks, front/rear mechanical disc brakes & easily adjustable seat height (bicycle is suitable for 10+-year-olds to 6 ft tall adults):

TILT charges 50p per minute (aka Rs 30 per hour) for the bicycle ride. The ride is completed when you dock the bicycle at the docking unit. The app then gives you this basic information about the ride:

Overall, this seems to be excellent value for money for casual riders

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Who can forget the challenges faced by Bounce Scooters with damage to their vehicles, vandalism etc. (more details here). I appreciate Tilt's strategy in trying up apartment complexes. And there are now enough large residential complexes in any city to build a good business.
Thanks for sharing this unique thread, SmartCat.

Here's what BHPian Dry Ice had to say on the matter:

Thanks for sharing! Bicycle sharing is quickly gaining traction the world over so hardly surprising it has come to our shores too.
Quite an ingenious approach to launching it in apartment complexes. By sharing some revenue with apartments they are assured of patrons and the safety of their bikes. I guess it dramatically reduces the chances of theft and manhandling compared to, say, if these stations were installed out in the wild.
Can you use them to travel to another apartment and leave it there (provided your destination also has a similar base)? Or do you need to return it to the same base?

Here's an update by BHPian SmartCat on the matter:

Same docking station for now, but docking at the different stations might be introduced very soon. That's because it looks like they have everything ready on the software side of things. The TILT app already has a 'map' link that is supposed to show all the bicycle docking stations:

This seems to imply that we can pick up the bicycle from any docking station. However, as of now, the functionality is disabled and it shows only our apartment on the map.

Perhaps once TILT gets large VC funding, it will introduce public bicycle sharing. Ensuring all docking stations have a minimum number of cycles is a logistical issue that only money can solve. Right now, their bank balance doesn't seem to be that impressive:

Bengaluru bike rental startup Tilt raises $125,000 from Y Combinator.

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

Good to see the TILT thread here. We have had it in our apartment for almost a year I guess. I recently started using them 3-4 times a week and find them great value
Wanted to start cycling but wasn’t sure if I would have the interest for long(like many other mid-life crisis-induced hobbies). That’s why didn’t want to buy a bicycle. This is a perfect option for folks like me and if am able to sustain the interest for more than 6-8 months, will look at options for buying one. Till then 50p/min seems super valuable spent on health.