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Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

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Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#111

Post by thiagocsf »

gervase wrote: post #16
saudioger wrote: post #6

Does anyone know if going dockless increases ridership in any significant way? The consumer benefits seem great but it seems like such a nightmare to maintain compared to a docking system.

I can't speak to the complexity of managing a dockless system (and in particular, their profitability), but from a UX perspective, it's a total game-changer. In my city, we started with docked, but after a dockless company arrived, literally no-one uses the docked bikes - why put up with the extra hassle of having to return the bikes for no user benefit? The prices are already so low that I can't really see them bein…

Returning the bikes to a dock is a benefit to everyone else in the city.

A dock is always placed in a location agreed by the council. It’s guaranteed to not be in anyone’s way or a safety hazard.

Maybe the dockless users in your city are more conscious. In mine, they will happily leave their rentals blocking the footpath. I constantly need to stop my child’s pram and move the bike out of the way.

Dockless bikes are an appropriation of public spaces by private companies and need to stop.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#112

Post by foota »

wpietri wrote: post #7

This is a puzzle to me. Uber faces some critical issues ahead. If they can solve them, the bikes will be a rounding error. If they can't, the bike business won't be enough to save them. Why add the complexity when they could buy or build something later? I especially can't figure out why the Jump CEO would do it. The odds of their work surviving to the 10 year mark seems so small. It reminds me of something like Dodg…

I'll bite, Uber benefits from people dumping cars, maybe they see more available personal transport as helping with this?

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#113

Post by thenayr »

jwilliams wrote: post #63

Just signed up for this in San Francisco -- Only to find that Russian Hill, Nob Hill, and North Beach are excluded. Plus Fort Mason, the Presidio, and anything west of the Panhandle. "San Francisco" it is not. Which I guess is fine, but they make you pay up-front, so I found that a bit of cheek. Admittedly it's only $2, but even on principle it's annoying. They should be much more transparent in the signup process. T…

I'm confused by this comment, I don't see how a neighborhood is "excluded". I live in Nob Hill and have seen the bikes plenty of times.

It's totally up to the user where they pick-up and drop-off the bike, unless I'm missing something here?

(another anecdote, I don't see any "official" city provided bike racks in those locations, perhaps that is what they are basing this on? You can lock them up to street signs perfectly fine though)

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#114

Post by codereflection »

prolikewhoa wrote: post #84
s5fs wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding Seattle and Portland, while it's true there are bike share programs, I don't see them used very often. The few who are using the bikes are either tourists (minority) or the homeless on stolen bikes. Additionally, just about half the limebikes that I see are abandoned under bridges or broken and unusable. Portland itself is a very bikeable city and a lot of time/energy is spent to improve and grow this infra…

I rode up Capitol Hill at 4:30PM every day last spring/summer, took me 10-15 minutes to get home from 2nd & Seneca and never had any safety issues. Drivers in Seattle are fairly aware of their surroundings with everyone walking randomly at all times and the city is adding new bike lanes often. Going up the hill on a Lime, Spin, or Ofo...no way -- you see those at the bottom of every hill.

I'm in Seattle as well, I have to disagree. Drivers here are mostly clueless. I know many who bike or ride motorcycles, and they have many stories to tell about the cluelessness of Seattle drivers. It's a dangerous city to ride a bike.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#115

Post by jwilliams »

yonran wrote: post #96
jwilliams wrote: post #63

Just signed up for this in San Francisco -- Only to find that Russian Hill, Nob Hill, and North Beach are excluded. Plus Fort Mason, the Presidio, and anything west of the Panhandle. "San Francisco" it is not. Which I guess is fine, but they make you pay up-front, so I found that a bit of cheek. Admittedly it's only $2, but even on principle it's annoying. They should be much more transparent in the signup process. T…

One factor that may limit the deployment is San Francisco’s permit requirement, which specifies that stationless bike share companies must commit to a “service area” which must have at least 3 bikes per square mile all day, and 20% of bikes must be in Communities of Concern. See regulation http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/transp... and permit application https://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/…

I feel for them having to deal with SF regulations - so no beef there.

My main niggle is a UX one. They really need to communicate the coverage in the signup process (especially if you're outside it when you sign up).

To their supreme credit - I contacted support asking clarification. They got back to me with an answer in minutes. Plus they refunded my initial payment.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#116

Post by thiagocsf »

bradly wrote: post #45
saudioger wrote: post #6

Does anyone know if going dockless increases ridership in any significant way? The consumer benefits seem great but it seems like such a nightmare to maintain compared to a docking system.

Yes, because docked bikes need to be done in cooperation with a city or business to install a dock station. With dockerless, the streets where I live have just been littered with bikes and scooters.

This has become a nightmare in Sydney. I see broken bikes everywhere, in piles, up fences, down in canals.

I’m hoping for regulation to come soon.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#117

Post by aviv »

alangibson wrote: post #82

I'm currently sitting in the Dutch city of Eindhoven. One of the first things you notice when you get here is that there are not bike lanes, not bike paths but very seriously bike roads on either side of the street. These are filled pretty much all the time by people of all ages on their personal bikes. There are no rental bikes anywhere. The moral of this story is that if you want people to bike, build bikeable citi…

This is what is happening in Phoenix metro. Ofo and others are littering sidewalks and business courtyards with their bright bikes that no one uses.

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#118

Post by woolvalley »

jseliger wrote: post #18
dawhizkid wrote: post #13

Awesome! Having used Jump this weekend, I wouldn't say dockless is the main value prop to me as a customer - it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike. Going medium distances (1-2 miles) and up and down steep hills in SF was a breeze. If you're commuting, it's "sweat free." IMO Uber Pool/Lyft Line has gotten so slow (I'm sure Pool/Line's share of total rides vs regular X/Lyft is more th…

it's the power assist that makes it feel more like a scooter than a bike There are many comments online about how awesome electric bikes are and many skeptical responses. I think the basic divide comes down to one thing: Has the person tried an electric bike? Almost everyone who has immediately sees them as awesome. Many who haven't don't get the point. There are finally some reputable electric bikes available for ar…

I've seen that removable battery style before in an ebike, and a friend that had a DIY version of that said vibration eventually caused heat problems that caused something to catch fire. Does this bike deal with that? Do you latch the battery to avoid vibration problems?

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#119

Post by thiagocsf »

rishabhparikh wrote: post #54
wpietri wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just the other day I saw some very dubious people on BART with dockless bikes. I had to wonder if there's a good secondary market in bike parts that makes those things worth stealing.

Why did you think they might be stealing the bikes?

Don’t answer. It’s a trap!

Re: Uber enters dockless bike wars with Jump acquisition

#120

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS »

woolvalley wrote: post #110
thiagocsf wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

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 apar…

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?
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