WRI India and Toyota Mobility Foundation Launch Second Phase of STAMP to Support Last Mile Connectivity Solutions

WRI India Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) launched the 2018 edition of the Station Access and Mobility Program (STAMP) in Bengaluru today, which focuses on scaling up the impact from the first phase of the program. The second phase of STAMP (STAMP 2018) in Bengaluru will provide a significant financial grant and technical support to one promising solution that serves the last-mile requirements of the Namma Metro network. The initiative aims to provide urban commuters with improved access to the metro rail. 

Wicked Ride (solution known as “Metro Bikes”), from the first cohort of STAMP Challenge winners, has been chosen to work with WRI India and TMF to deploy two and four-wheeler rental solutions for last mile connectivity at six metro stations. Each of the six metro stations will be characterized under distinct typologies based on the land-use and development around the station area. Using data from these six use case stations, the company will refine their operations at similar stations across the Namma Metro network. Learnings from the deployment will be shared with Government for improving operational integration. 

“Different metro stations require different types of first and last mile solutions. The future of mobility is to have an integrated public-private transportation landscape. If we are able to provide end-to-end solutions for commuters, they will be more inclined to integrate Metro into their commute, thus reducing the exclusive usage of private vehicles in our cities,” explained Pawan Mulukutla, Head of Integrated Transport at WRI India. 

STAMP in 2018 builds upon the success of the STAMP Challenge Bengaluru in 2017, in which four winning teams developed and demonstrated their solutions for last-mile connectivity at the Baiyappanahalli metro station. The pilot demonstrations took place from October 2017 to December 2017, comprising operations by Metro Bikes, Quick Ride, a carpooling platform that is operational in several cities, and Constapark, a parking aggregation and management solution that has since been acquired by GetmyParking. The three service solutions facilitated over 17,000 first-and last-mile connections during the pilot period, with users reporting significant convenience and time savings from the presence of the services. The fourth winner, Citizens for Sustainability (CiFoS), developed a multimodal integration index and information dissemination index that rated the quality of commuter experience at the metro station, and provided recommendations for improvement. 

The budding impact demonstrated through the STAMP pilots will now be extended city-wide. Reflecting on the STAMP Challenge experience and the upcoming STAMP 2018 engagement, Vivekananda Hallekere, CEO and Co-founder at Metro Bikes, observed “STAMP provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate our one-way two-wheeler rentals, which are a perfect last-mile solution from the metro station. In 2018, with support from TMF, we will be expanding to six stations and testing different modes, and electric and keyless technology in the fleet.” 

Led by WRI India and TMF, the Station Access and Mobility Program is a multi-year, multi-city initiative that facilitates high-quality first and last mile connectivity to urban mass transit networks, through a challenge platform that identifies innovative technologies and business models for mobility. In addition to providing access to data and mentor networks, STAMP provides innovation grants for testing promising solutions through pilot demonstrations, and provides scale-up support to proven solutions with strong market growth and high potential impact. In addition to the Bengaluru engagement with Metro Bikes, STAMP 2018 also includes the STAMP Challenge launched in Hyderabad in June, in which innovation grants totaling USD 50,000 will be awarded to the two best solutions for last-mile connectivity to Hyderabad Metro. 

Highlighting the unique value proposition of the STAMP initiative, Pras Ganesh, Director of Toyota Mobility Foundation and Vice-President of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering and Manufacturing observed, “We designed STAMP for India with a long-term approach by investing in the ecosystem to catalyze innovation for mobility while also supporting proven solutions through their critical growth period to ensure success and sustainability. We encourage innovation and an integrated and seamless mobility experience for the customers by building upon the initiatives of the government. ” 

Commenting on the occasion, Shekar Viswanathan, Vice Chairman & Whole-time Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Last year, with the launch of the project, we witnessed an overwhelming response for the STAMP Challenge in Bengaluru, and it is extremely important to keep the momentum and assess the work in progress of such innovative ideas. Further, scaling-up the efforts to next level with reliable, low-cost technology for effective access to Namma Metro becomes critical. The success of such mass projects is to look at the situation on-ground and offer customised solutions that are best suited to ensure a safer and more secure mass transit mobility solutions. Taking this opportunity, I congratulate Wicked Ride (solution known as “Metro Bikes”) from the first cohort of STAMP Challenge winners for their efficient implementation of pilot solution towards the last-mile connectivity at six metro stations. The success of this project in Namma Metro will further enable and instill confidence in us to take it to other metro cities in the country”.