India is witnessing a very slow growth in bicycle ownership and a decline in the use of bicycles as a form of mobility (TERI, 2014). In the period between 2001 and 2011, the share of bicycle-owning households has only increased by 1%. The corresponding share in rural areas has increased by 3.4%, whereas in urban areas it has declined by 4.1%. (TERI, 2018)

In 2019, as per industry estimates, bicycle sales in India stood at over 16.5 million units, valued at Rs 5,000-5,500 crore. The Indian bicycle market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5-6 per cent up to 2021-22. (BW, May 2020)

According to the All India Cycle Manufacturers’ Association (AICMA), of the 1.65 crore bicycles made in 2017-2018 in India, 90 lakh were roadsters. The overall size of the premium and super-premium segment is currently small at approximately 30,000 units annually and accounts for only 0.2 per cent of the overall market in India, growing at a CAGR of 20 per cent over the last five years (BW, May 2020). Current usage of bicycle is just 9 per cent of the total population (IE, July 2018).

A single brand chain sold approximately 75,000 bicycles last year alone. The flow can be estimated to be 2 lakh bicycles in the city alone. Various estimates put the stock of bicycles in Bengaluru to be anywhere between 10 lakh to 30 lakhs. Most are lying unused. The bicycling mode share in the city is estimated at 3%.

What should we do?

This is the right time to aim big. The city has more than 80 lakh motor vehicles. Various estimates put the number of cycles in Bengaluru around 20 lakhs. Out of these only around 2 lakhs ply in the city on any given day. If we wish to have a 20% mode share in the city we should be looking at amplifying these abysmal numbers without which it's not possible to command a reasonable mode share on our roads. With a population on 1.3 crore and being a cosmopolitan city we should aim to have one crore bicycles sold in the city.

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