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Personally, I love the scooters and bikes these companies provide and I think you make a really good point about them being a positive disruption. It's pretty

Personally, I love the scooters and bikes these companies provide and I think you make a really good point about them being a positive disruption. It's pretty clear that there is a growing demand for ways to get around other than driving yourself. Lyft and Uber are great for covering distances, but have their issues. In busy metro areas it can often be quicker to walk than it is to drive if you're only going a mile and traffic is bad. On the flip side, in more suburban areas the nearest Uber or Lyft can often be 10+ minutes away. These bikes and scooters fill that "too long to walk, too short to Lyft" gap perfectly as well as being a great for getting from a public transit stop to a destination. I don't think they have all the kinks worked out yet. I often see them left in stupid places and there are safety issues for sure, but I really do think they are a step in the right direction.

justinator 8y ago
Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.
- jyrkesh 8y ago
  It could be from the perspective of storage and maintenance. For me, one of the hardest things about owning a bike is where the hell to put it. I live in a city where I can't lock it up outside overnight or it'll eventually be stolen. And as someone else mentioned, flat tires are a pain, checking/maintaining brakes are a pain...I can afford to have someone else do it, but that's still way more of a hassle than just booping a bike on the sidewalk.
  - justinator 8y ago
    * It could be from the perspective of storage and maintenance. For me, one of the hardest things about owning a bike is where the hell to put it. I live in a city where I can't lock it up outside overnight or it'll eventually be stolen.* Hang it from a hook. And as someone else mentioned, flat tires are a pain, checking/maintaining brakes are a pain...I can afford to have someone else do it, but that's still way more of a hassle than just booping a bike on the sidewalk. Squeeze the tire to see if it's holding air, squeeze the brake lever to see if it's stopping the wheel, then go! Not too difficult. Flat tires aren't too common these days. Wheels can be tubeless these days, even.
    - baroffoos 8y ago
      Since I put tire liners inside my tires I haven't had a single puncture.
  - fulafel 8y ago
    You can get a lot of help from low maintenance parts like marathon plus tires, roller brakes, nexus/alfine hub gears. For outdoor storage vs theft, a beat up looking muddy off brand frame does a lot.
- Thrymr 8y ago
  The logistics can be challenging, though, especially in an urban area. You need a place to keep and lock up your bike everywhere you go, and [for many people] a way to transport your bike on public transit.
  - justinator 8y ago
    Bike racks, and bike racks?
    - stingrae 8y ago
      In San Francisco, I wouldn’t trust leaving my bike at a bike rack. That’s why the bike/scooter shares are so useful. Otherwise I would ride my personal bike everywhere.
- iso1337 8y ago
  It is when you have to figure out how to get the bike to the start of your last mile, deal with flat tyres, etc. With these scooters, you can take public transportation (keep in mind some systems don't allow bikes on their transit systems) to somewhere, then solve the last mile problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation) Not to mention $200+ to own a bike may not seem like a lot to you, but could be a lot to someone with low income. The capex cost can be prohibitive.
  - justinator 8y ago
    Not to mention $200+ to own a bike may not seem like a lot to you, but could be a lot to someone with low income. The capex cost can be prohibitive. Compared to a car, it's very cheap. Flat tires... hmm: I average about one a year, maybe. It's not the biggest deal. Are flat tires really that big of a barrier to entry?
    - iso1337 8y ago
      Most people I know don't know how to, or couldn't be bothered to, change a bicycle tire. You have to also bring around a spare tire, a portable air pump, etc... or face the prospect of walking your bike somewhere. Perhaps we should differentiate here between bike ownership and these bike/scooter share approaches. Scooters also have flat tires. Compare ownership to a shared scooter or bike service, where these costs are in effect shared amongst everyone. If your scooter breaks down, you can leave it and seek other forms of transportation.
      - justinator 8y ago
        HN is full of smart people - changing a bike tire isn't beyond the pale of the intelligence herein. :)
        iso1337 8y ago
        Sadly the world isn't comprised of only HN smart people :)
- superfrank 8y ago
  Privately owning a bike comes with a ton of hassles though. - I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month. - If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home. - If I'm on a bike and I meet up with people that aren't, coordinating travel is a huge pain in the ass. - I travel a lot and have been in 4 major cities this week. Having a bike at home helps there, but doesn't solve any problems in the other cities. Sharing services are great for visitors. - Living in a major city, bike theft is a huge problem. By using shared bikes, I don't have to worry about that. - On top of it all, Lime/Bird is just cheaper. I really only use one once every week or two. I've probably spent less that $30 this year on Lime/Bird. Even if I got a bike for free and it never needed any maintenance a decent U lock would cost more than that. So yeah, I could own a bike, but these are more convenient and cheaper, so why would I?
  - justinator 8y ago
    I've used a bike for my primary transportation for the last 15 years. I'm not sure if your points are all real, or just what you imagine would be blocks. Let's go through some! - I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month. Hang the bike up with a hook. - If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home. They make clothes specifically to be worn in the rain. Getting a little wet won't hurt ya. - I travel a lot and have been in 4 major cities this week. Having a bike at home helps there, but doesn't solve any problems in the other cities. Sharing services are great for visitors. That, I agree! Goodness, that's a lot of traveling. - Living in a major city, bike theft is a huge problem. By using shared bikes, I don't have to worry about that. I must be lucky, because I've never had a bike stolen. - On top of it all, Lime/Bird is just cheaper. I really only use one once every week or two. I've probably spent less that $30 this year on Lime/Bird. Even if I got a bike for free and it never needed any maintenance a decent U lock would cost more than that. I guess I see the costs saving are from not owning a car. Haha, and I guess, not really needed a gym membership!
    - 8y ago
- asdff 8y ago
  I used to bike to work year round before these and I'm not eager to go back. Biking for 2 hours on the weekend is enjoyable, showing up to work sweaty and coming home exhausted five days a week was not. Hills are not fun! I feel safer on one of these too; the acceleration can be handy in emergency situations where you'd otherwise be barely up to speed on a bike, in the wrong gear, etc.
rotexo 8y ago
I visited Sacramento from the Bay Area recently, and the Jump bikes were a revelation. It seems to me that electric-assist bikes are an easier sell safety-wise than scooters (bike lanes often already exist). I’m from Austin Tx and I really hope that the electric assist bikes see widespread adoption there, especially given the horrific traffic and historical resistance to public transit there (biking in the summer there is a hard sell, and it seems to me that electric assist could reduce the number of cars on the road)
- rotexo 8y ago
  AND I could see electric assist leading to cyclists making full stops at stop signs (since the need for momentum hacking is not so great). Based on what I've read here, that would go a long way towards drivers and cyclists getting along better.
phil248 8y ago
I imagine if more people in the US were willing to reevaluate "too long to walk" these types of scooters would be next-to-useless. Walking a mile or two is easy, healthy and does not take very long.
- BigJono 8y ago
  On what planet does walking 2 miles not take very long?
- asdff 8y ago
  If its the least bit warm any longer than 15 minutes and you are gonna have some sweat.

justinator 8y ago

Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.

jyrkesh 8y ago
It could be from the perspective of storage and maintenance. For me, one of the hardest things about owning a bike is where the hell to put it. I live in a city where I can't lock it up outside overnight or it'll eventually be stolen. And as someone else mentioned, flat tires are a pain, checking/maintaining brakes are a pain...I can afford to have someone else do it, but that's still way more of a hassle than just booping a bike on the sidewalk.
- justinator 8y ago
  * It could be from the perspective of storage and maintenance. For me, one of the hardest things about owning a bike is where the hell to put it. I live in a city where I can't lock it up outside overnight or it'll eventually be stolen.* Hang it from a hook. And as someone else mentioned, flat tires are a pain, checking/maintaining brakes are a pain...I can afford to have someone else do it, but that's still way more of a hassle than just booping a bike on the sidewalk. Squeeze the tire to see if it's holding air, squeeze the brake lever to see if it's stopping the wheel, then go! Not too difficult. Flat tires aren't too common these days. Wheels can be tubeless these days, even.
  - baroffoos 8y ago
    Since I put tire liners inside my tires I haven't had a single puncture.
- fulafel 8y ago
  You can get a lot of help from low maintenance parts like marathon plus tires, roller brakes, nexus/alfine hub gears. For outdoor storage vs theft, a beat up looking muddy off brand frame does a lot.
Thrymr 8y ago
The logistics can be challenging, though, especially in an urban area. You need a place to keep and lock up your bike everywhere you go, and [for many people] a way to transport your bike on public transit.
- justinator 8y ago
  Bike racks, and bike racks?
  - stingrae 8y ago
    In San Francisco, I wouldn’t trust leaving my bike at a bike rack. That’s why the bike/scooter shares are so useful. Otherwise I would ride my personal bike everywhere.
iso1337 8y ago
It is when you have to figure out how to get the bike to the start of your last mile, deal with flat tyres, etc. With these scooters, you can take public transportation (keep in mind some systems don't allow bikes on their transit systems) to somewhere, then solve the last mile problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation) Not to mention $200+ to own a bike may not seem like a lot to you, but could be a lot to someone with low income. The capex cost can be prohibitive.
- justinator 8y ago
  Not to mention $200+ to own a bike may not seem like a lot to you, but could be a lot to someone with low income. The capex cost can be prohibitive. Compared to a car, it's very cheap. Flat tires... hmm: I average about one a year, maybe. It's not the biggest deal. Are flat tires really that big of a barrier to entry?
  - iso1337 8y ago
    Most people I know don't know how to, or couldn't be bothered to, change a bicycle tire. You have to also bring around a spare tire, a portable air pump, etc... or face the prospect of walking your bike somewhere. Perhaps we should differentiate here between bike ownership and these bike/scooter share approaches. Scooters also have flat tires. Compare ownership to a shared scooter or bike service, where these costs are in effect shared amongst everyone. If your scooter breaks down, you can leave it and seek other forms of transportation.
    - justinator 8y ago
      HN is full of smart people - changing a bike tire isn't beyond the pale of the intelligence herein. :)
      - iso1337 8y ago
        Sadly the world isn't comprised of only HN smart people :)
superfrank 8y ago
Privately owning a bike comes with a ton of hassles though. - I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month. - If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home. - If I'm on a bike and I meet up with people that aren't, coordinating travel is a huge pain in the ass. - I travel a lot and have been in 4 major cities this week. Having a bike at home helps there, but doesn't solve any problems in the other cities. Sharing services are great for visitors. - Living in a major city, bike theft is a huge problem. By using shared bikes, I don't have to worry about that. - On top of it all, Lime/Bird is just cheaper. I really only use one once every week or two. I've probably spent less that $30 this year on Lime/Bird. Even if I got a bike for free and it never needed any maintenance a decent U lock would cost more than that. So yeah, I could own a bike, but these are more convenient and cheaper, so why would I?
- justinator 8y ago
  I've used a bike for my primary transportation for the last 15 years. I'm not sure if your points are all real, or just what you imagine would be blocks. Let's go through some! - I live in a 570ft studio so storage space is limited. We have bike storage in my building, but it's $15 a month. Hang the bike up with a hook. - If I go somewhere and bring the bike with me, I have to bring it back. If it starts raining, I can't just choose to leave the bike and take an Uber home. They make clothes specifically to be worn in the rain. Getting a little wet won't hurt ya. - I travel a lot and have been in 4 major cities this week. Having a bike at home helps there, but doesn't solve any problems in the other cities. Sharing services are great for visitors. That, I agree! Goodness, that's a lot of traveling. - Living in a major city, bike theft is a huge problem. By using shared bikes, I don't have to worry about that. I must be lucky, because I've never had a bike stolen. - On top of it all, Lime/Bird is just cheaper. I really only use one once every week or two. I've probably spent less that $30 this year on Lime/Bird. Even if I got a bike for free and it never needed any maintenance a decent U lock would cost more than that. I guess I see the costs saving are from not owning a car. Haha, and I guess, not really needed a gym membership!
  - 8y ago
asdff 8y ago
I used to bike to work year round before these and I'm not eager to go back. Biking for 2 hours on the weekend is enjoyable, showing up to work sweaty and coming home exhausted five days a week was not. Hills are not fun! I feel safer on one of these too; the acceleration can be handy in emergency situations where you'd otherwise be barely up to speed on a bike, in the wrong gear, etc.

rotexo 8y ago

I visited Sacramento from the Bay Area recently, and the Jump bikes were a revelation. It seems to me that electric-assist bikes are an easier sell safety-wise than scooters (bike lanes often already exist). I’m from Austin Tx and I really hope that the electric assist bikes see widespread adoption there, especially given the horrific traffic and historical resistance to public transit there (biking in the summer there is a hard sell, and it seems to me that electric assist could reduce the number of cars on the road)

rotexo 8y ago
AND I could see electric assist leading to cyclists making full stops at stop signs (since the need for momentum hacking is not so great). Based on what I've read here, that would go a long way towards drivers and cyclists getting along better.

phil248 8y ago

I imagine if more people in the US were willing to reevaluate "too long to walk" these types of scooters would be next-to-useless. Walking a mile or two is easy, healthy and does not take very long.

BigJono 8y ago
On what planet does walking 2 miles not take very long?
asdff 8y ago
If its the least bit warm any longer than 15 minutes and you are gonna have some sweat.