PESHAWAR: The government of Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday inaugurated Zu Bicycle, the region's first and long-awaited bicycle-sharing system.

Dubbed Zu Bicycle, the system is rolled out by government-owned TransPeshawar which manages Peshawar city's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), a metro bus service project in the province’s capital, to facilitate BRT passengers.

The word “zu” in the project’s name means “let’s go” in the Pashto language which is natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan

"This Zu Bicycle Sharing System is the first of its kind in Pakistan," Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transport Minister Shah Muhammad Wazir said during Zu-Bicycle's launching ceremony.

"The bicycle (system) is designed to specifically facilitate the commuters. This is an excellent addition to the state-of-the-art BRT transport facility provided by the KP government to the KP people."

To rent a bicycle, a refundable deposit of Rs3,000 needs to be submitted at a BRT ticket office. The first 30 minutes of a Zu Bicycle ride free, while after that period Rs60 per hour is charged.

"If a passenger wants to borrow a bicycle, he or she needs to be registered and deposit the requisite security then a passenger has to use the Zu mobile app or Zu smart card to release a cycle from the dock," TransPeshawar spokesperson Muhammad Umair Khan said.

He added that 360 bicycles are available at 32 docking stations along BRT routes.

Other officials present during the inauguration ceremony welcomed Zu Bicycle as a means to reduce traffic and pollution in the city.

“The project tends to be an excellent mode of transportation for the public especially for students and will add to the clean and green campaign,” KP Information Technology Minister Zia Ullah Bangash said.

KP Information Minister Kamran Bangash welcomed the bike-sharing scheme as especially helpful for students and promoting a "pollution-free environment."