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I find the wave of bike shares a little odd, overall. Access to a bike seems to be the least obstacle when considering commuting by bike - you could probably bu

I find the wave of bike shares a little odd, overall. Access to a bike seems to be the least obstacle when considering commuting by bike - you could probably buy a bike for less than the cost of renting one for a few months. Larger concerns include riding in traffic, being struck by cars, and poor weather. None of those are addressed by plonking a few bikes here and there.

sushisource 9y ago
I see the use case much more as "I need to get from place A to B downtown, outside of my normal commute", etc. I agree marketing it as an everyday commute thing makes little sense but that's only part of the page here.
bichiliad 9y ago
I've found that cities that have Jump bikes already have at least some amount of bike lanes, and having an electric assist motor helps a lot with mitigating traffic. Plus, they're bright red and have built-in lights, which makes them hard to miss. Speaking about bike shares more generally, owning a bike does involve a lot of maintenance. You forgo that by renting (and I'm sure it's priced to be competitive to the amortized cost of owning a bike and keeping it in tune). I love that sort of thing, but I'm not everyone. If this is the thing that gets people on bikes and off cars, I'm all for it.
seizethecheese 9y ago
I'm a frequent user in Seattle. Here are two big draws: - One way trips. When you take your own bike, you have no flexibility for return trips. - Low overhead. My own bike seems to always have a flat tire or a skipping chain. I can never seem to remember where my lock key is. Etc...
aeorgnoieang 9y ago
Commuting via your own bike is very much a more significant commitment. You probably don't want to leave your bike near your destination. Whereas, with a 'shared' bike, you can commute to somewhere, but take other transport back home. Storing a bike can also be expensive if in no other way than space. The Uber Bike tho is an electric bike; very much more expensive than a regular bike (and much easier to ride).
CalRobert 9y ago
I live in Dublin, where we have a very successful docking bike share. (Of course, we have mediocre transit and a compact city centry, which might explain its popularity) Every morning, I take my daughter to creche, walking with her pram. Then, I get on a Dublin bike and dock it at the office. Then, after work, I get on a Dublin bike and dock it by my apartment (wife picks up daughter on way home from work) Even though I have a Brompton, being able to walk, then ride, then ride, is a huge part of the appeal of bike share. Sometimes I'll take transport to a place and cycle back. Sometimes I have a multipoint journey. It all varies.

sushisource 9y ago

I see the use case much more as "I need to get from place A to B downtown, outside of my normal commute", etc. I agree marketing it as an everyday commute thing makes little sense but that's only part of the page here.

bichiliad 9y ago

I've found that cities that have Jump bikes already have at least some amount of bike lanes, and having an electric assist motor helps a lot with mitigating traffic. Plus, they're bright red and have built-in lights, which makes them hard to miss. Speaking about bike shares more generally, owning a bike does involve a lot of maintenance. You forgo that by renting (and I'm sure it's priced to be competitive to the amortized cost of owning a bike and keeping it in tune). I love that sort of thing, but I'm not everyone. If this is the thing that gets people on bikes and off cars, I'm all for it.

seizethecheese 9y ago

I'm a frequent user in Seattle. Here are two big draws: - One way trips. When you take your own bike, you have no flexibility for return trips. - Low overhead. My own bike seems to always have a flat tire or a skipping chain. I can never seem to remember where my lock key is. Etc...

aeorgnoieang 9y ago

Commuting via your own bike is very much a more significant commitment. You probably don't want to leave your bike near your destination. Whereas, with a 'shared' bike, you can commute to somewhere, but take other transport back home. Storing a bike can also be expensive if in no other way than space. The Uber Bike tho is an electric bike; very much more expensive than a regular bike (and much easier to ride).

CalRobert 9y ago

I live in Dublin, where we have a very successful docking bike share. (Of course, we have mediocre transit and a compact city centry, which might explain its popularity) Every morning, I take my daughter to creche, walking with her pram. Then, I get on a Dublin bike and dock it at the office. Then, after work, I get on a Dublin bike and dock it by my apartment (wife picks up daughter on way home from work) Even though I have a Brompton, being able to walk, then ride, then ride, is a huge part of the appeal of bike share. Sometimes I'll take transport to a place and cycle back. Sometimes I have a multipoint journey. It all varies.