How cycling communities are helping Indian cities deal with the second wave of COVID-19

Bengaluru’s Relief Riders started helping vulnerable groups with delivery of medicines and essentials. Several cities have now followed suit

Divi K wanted to take some home-cooked food for her elderly aunt, who was unwell, on May 1 in Bengaluru. She stays in Halasuru which is about 20 kilometres from her aunt’s house in Yelahanka. Due to the lockdown in Karnataka, she was unable to drive there herself. She could not find a delivery service either. That is when she came across a helpline number for Relief Riders, a group of cyclists who are volunteering to deliver medicines and other essentials, including food, to vulnerable people in the city. Within minutes of dialling the number, a volunteer — Kunal Bohra, a second-year BCom student — reached her doorstep. The food was delivered within an hour. Relief Riders is headed by Bengaluru’s ‘bicycle mayor’ Sathya Sankaran, who is a part of BYCS, a Dutch social enterprise that heads a worldwide network of international cycle mayors. Along with the Bengaluru cycling community, he formed Relief Riders during the first wave of the pandemic. With the city in the midst of a two-week lockdown, the cyclists returned to volunteer again. Now, more cities have joined the programme. The programme kicked off in Chennai from May 3. Felix John, Chennai’s bicycle mayor, says, “We are aware the situation is much worse than last year. Hence, it’s probably riskier for us to move around. But the people in need of essentials and medicines have also grown which is why we decided to volunteer.”