Bicycles are a powerful mobility solution for millions of people living in rural, underserved communities. They provide access to opportunities and services that would otherwise be out of reach.
Outcomes
Cycling participation more than doubling from 4.5% in 2007 to 11% in 2017 for rural girls in India, reducing the gender gap in the activity.
In Kenya, the number of days students were late declined by an average of 81%, while in Zambia, the number of days students missed school declined by nearly 90%.
Why
Nearly 1 billion rural people around the world live in communities far from an accessible all-weather road. This isolation particularly impacts women and girls, limiting their access to education, healthcare, and income-generating opportunities.
How
Governmental programs
In India, the education departments of multiple states provide free bicycles to school-going children aged 14–17 years to improve enrollment rates in secondary and higher secondary education. These schemes are commonly referred to as bicycle distribution schemes (BDS) and focus on girls particularly as their dropout rates from schools are often higher than boys. Researcher Srishti Agrawal highlights the transformative effect of cycling on girls' education and mobility. "This is a silent revolution. We call it a revolution because in a country where there is a high level of gender inequality in terms of women's mobility outside the home in general and cycling in particular, cycling among girls has increased."
Charities
Non-profit organizations that specialize in large-scale bicycle distribution programs to aid poverty relief in developing countries. For example, the World Bicycle Relief as of 2023 have distributed 785,331 bicycles and trained more than 3,388 bicycle mechanics in the developing world. The charity designed a sturdy bike specifically designed for heavy loads and rough terrain, primarily used in developing countries, especially Africa.
Trade-offs:
Load Carrying Capacity vs. Design Limitations: While bicycles are useful for carrying loads, current designs may not fully meet users' needs. There's a trade-off between the desire for load-carrying capacity and the limitations of existing bicycle designs.
Low cost Transportation vs. Maintenance Issues: Bicycles offer low-cost transportation, but the ability to maintain and repair them can be a challenge in some rural areas
Comentários