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I am in the city of Sydney, where no less than 4 dockless bike rental companies started operating overnight. They have become urban clutter. Users park them in

I am in the city of Sydney, where no less than 4 dockless bike rental companies started operating overnight. They have become urban clutter. Users park them in locations where they’re easily knocked over and, from there, they usually get damaged. There’s also a very high incidence of vandalism. Bikes with no seats, no pedals, bent wheels, on top of trees, in canals. It’s common to see heaps of scrap bikes on the road. These companies not only are using public land to offer their services but also polluting my city. All this has made me a vocal opposer of dockless rentals. Work with city council to put your bikes on a dock or don’t come here.

kolpa 9y ago
That's a valid opinon but surely the same applies to roads, covered with heaps of scrap cars and car parts?
- thiagocsf 9y ago
  Cars need to pay tax to be on public roads, which then is used for maintenance costs. These bikes are using public land for free.
  - Pxtl 9y ago
    US roads are paid for by income and property tax dollars. Gas taxes and fees barely put a dent in the TCO of the roadway.
woolvalley 9y ago
The dockless jump bikes seemed to be locked to something. I think it's a requirement for riders to lock them after use, and so far, they haven't been cluttering SF. Maybe that is the compromise. No docks, but have to be locked to some sort of normal bike rack to prevent clutter. The manufacturer / city isn't responsible for maintaining expensive dock infrastructure where company A cant use company B's docks, and apartments & businesses can create bike parking space in an adhoc manner, making the over all market more efficient.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 9y ago
  Do they have the same problem other bike rental companies have had in SF where users ride them to the bottom of the hills where they just stack up?
  - Pxtl 9y ago
    Most cities aren't as hilly as SF.
  - woolvalley 9y ago
    I would think that ebikes would cause stacking at the top of hills, since it does all the work for you :p Being serious, I have no idea. I think all bike systems will need rebalancing of some sort. Be it through cheaper pricing or other incentives or something else.
dawhizkid 9y ago
You have to lock Jump bikes to bike racks after use and are liable if you do not and it gets stolen, so it's "semi-dockless" in that sense and unlike other bike sharing companies.

kolpa 9y ago

That's a valid opinon but surely the same applies to roads, covered with heaps of scrap cars and car parts?

thiagocsf 9y ago
Cars need to pay tax to be on public roads, which then is used for maintenance costs. These bikes are using public land for free.
- Pxtl 9y ago
  US roads are paid for by income and property tax dollars. Gas taxes and fees barely put a dent in the TCO of the roadway.

woolvalley 9y ago

The dockless jump bikes seemed to be locked to something. I think it's a requirement for riders to lock them after use, and so far, they haven't been cluttering SF. Maybe that is the compromise. No docks, but have to be locked to some sort of normal bike rack to prevent clutter. The manufacturer / city isn't responsible for maintaining expensive dock infrastructure where company A cant use company B's docks, and apartments & businesses can create bike parking space in an adhoc manner, making the over all market more efficient.

SOLAR_FIELDS 9y ago
Do they have the same problem other bike rental companies have had in SF where users ride them to the bottom of the hills where they just stack up?
- Pxtl 9y ago
  Most cities aren't as hilly as SF.
- woolvalley 9y ago
  I would think that ebikes would cause stacking at the top of hills, since it does all the work for you :p Being serious, I have no idea. I think all bike systems will need rebalancing of some sort. Be it through cheaper pricing or other incentives or something else.

dawhizkid 9y ago

You have to lock Jump bikes to bike racks after use and are liable if you do not and it gets stolen, so it's "semi-dockless" in that sense and unlike other bike sharing companies.