Photo : BSS

CHITTAGONG UNIVERSITY, June 11, 2026 (BSS) - App-based bicycle-sharing service provider JoBike has launched a pilot project introducing electric bicycles on the Chittagong University (CU) campus, marking the first such initiative at a university in Bangladesh.

The service was formally inaugurated today in front of the Chittagong University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) building by CU Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Al-Forkan at 11:00 am.

The initiative, introduced under CUCSU's facilitation, will operate as a 40-day trial run. Authorities said that if the pilot proves successful, the fleet will be expanded to 100 bicycles, including 50 e-bikes, across the campus.

At present, 10 electric bicycles have been deployed along with supporting infrastructure. The service will operate daily from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm. Initial docking and parking stations have been set up at Zero Point, the Faculty of Biological Sciences, Gate No. 2, and the CUCSU building area.

Users will be charged Tk 1.50 per minute for e-bicycles and Tk 0.80 per minute for pedal bicycles, along with an unlocking fee of around Tk 1.50 per ride.

CU Pro-VC (Academic) Prof. Dr. Mohammed Al-Amin, Pro-VC (Administration) Prof. Dr. Md. Safiqul Islam, Proctor Prof. Dr. Hossain Shaid Shohrowardhy, and Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration Prof. Dr. Mohammad Saleh Zahur. ZoBike Founder and CEO Mehedi Reza, Director Sharif Khan, CUCSU VP Ibrahim Hossain Roni, and Transport and Accommodation Affairs Secretary Ishaq Bhuiyan also attended the event.

Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Al-Forkan said JoBike would be a valuable addition to campus transport and urged students to use the service responsibly. He also expressed hope that the initiative would not face operational disruptions as seen in previous attempts.

JoBike Founder and CEO Mehedi Reza said students had submitted renewed demands in 2023 for the return of the service. He noted that the current launch includes electric bicycles for the first time on any university campus in the country.

He added that, depending on demand after the trial period, the company plans to scale up operations with up to 100 bicycles and establish around 20 parking points across the campus, along with a proposed Jo-Caf‚ for students.

CUCSU Communication and Accommodation Affairs Secretary Ishaq Bhuiyan said the bicycle-sharing service, first introduced in 2018, had remained suspended for nearly six years but had now resumed following student demand.

JoBike, launched in 2018, operates through a mobile application where users unlock bicycles by scanning QR codes after registering in the system.