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Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

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Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#231

Post by flukus »

neumann wrote: post #191
toomanybeersies wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OBike has been a shocking failure in Australia. Not necessarily from a business perspective, but from an environmental one. Because they aren't physically locked onto anything, it has become a game to see what stupid place you can put an OBike. Recently they fished a couple of dozen out of the Yarra River. People think it's amusing to just abuse them. Half of them have the wheel lock broken off them, so they're free…

Oh god yes. I live near a small creek in central melbourne. My morning commute passes usually 3-4 newly trashed O-bikes that have been ghostied into the creek, or recently fished out by a neighbour. I recently spotted a guy with a super nice camera stalking the riverbank and jokingly asked him if he was O-bike spotting. He replied that he was, I pointed him to two submerged on the other bank and he said he was making…

> At this point, I wonder what their business model is.

Same as silicon valley, keep growing to attract more and more venture capital, worry about profitability later.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#232

Post by flukus »

victorhooi wrote: post #223
beedogs wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> OBike seems to work a lot better in Singapore, where people have respect for property. Um... nope. It's just as bad in Singapore. https://mashable.com/2017/10/05/singapore-designated-parking... Stop blaming Australians for being fed up with companies who use littering as a business model. These shitty bikes are all over the public footpaths here and people are tired of it.

Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model? The bloody twats who are picking these up without paying and dumping them in a creek are the ones littering - it's like blaming the shopping centre for you stealing, because they had stuff for you to steal. Look at the mess Aussies have made with shopping trolleys from Coles/Woolworths. The supermarkets got s…

> Sorry, but this is just being shifty and irresponsible. And how are they using littering as a business model?

Their business model is leaving their shitty bikes all over public property. If you want to open a food stand you need a license and to comply with regulations, you can't just setup on any footpath, but oBikes are just left everywhere.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#233

Post by mmirate »

darkstar999 wrote: post #228
cjensen wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. It's abuse because Uber presumably have a lot of bikes they would like to inject into the system. Every bike displaces one available parking spot. Suppose there's a small town with one bike lot at the library. Everyone keeps their bike at home except to go to the library. Does the use of those bike spots affect the public? Yes. Would it be okay if Enterprise Car Rental used public spaces to hold their inventory?…

You're arguing an invalid point. As a cyclist, I never have a problem finding a place to park.

That differs from city to city, sometimes even smaller than that.

Personally, one of the reasons I don't bother to use my bike very much is that the bike racks near my undergraduate institution's lecture buildings - but not their counterparts anywhere else in this city - are almost constantly packed to the brim.

(And then there's the hills...)

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#234

Post by skrebbel »

bbarn wrote: post #203

Opinion: Bike sharing will never be more than barely above break even. I am a big bike advocate. I have 12 bikes downstairs, I've raced, and nearly every vacation I've taken in the last 15 years has been bike related. I don't even mind the e-bike trend as much as some people, and I am an uber user occasionally. I still can't see this working. People like me, who absolutely love bike commuting, we can't stop our bikes…

> I don't even mind the e-bike trend as much as some people

Taking this off topic but.. what? Why would anyone "mind" e-bikes? I recognize that you and me are probably in very different filter bubbles but everyone I know is either ambivalent to them or a fan (and owner).

Here in NL bike commutes certainly increased. People used to mostly commute within their city, but now that e-bikes don't suck, I know several people who do 2x 30+km commutes by bike every day without breaking a sweat (literally). And don't even get me started about enabling semi disabled people to bike places again, it's fantastic. Isn't that super neat? What am I missing?

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#235

Post by beambot »

bbarn wrote: post #203

Opinion: Bike sharing will never be more than barely above break even. I am a big bike advocate. I have 12 bikes downstairs, I've raced, and nearly every vacation I've taken in the last 15 years has been bike related. I don't even mind the e-bike trend as much as some people, and I am an uber user occasionally. I still can't see this working. People like me, who absolutely love bike commuting, we can't stop our bikes…

People like you, who absolutely love bike commuting AND have twelve bikes... may not be their target market. Their ubiquitous bikes with virtually no locks aren't worth stealing compared to your (guessing!) $1200 commuting road bike.

And operating barely above break even: Great -- That means reasonable consumer pricing! Hell, make it a public utility like libraries or the post office.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#236

Post by beambot »

cjensen wrote: post #201

Abusing public bike racks to hold private rental inventory. The best bike shares build and operate their own racks with permission from the city. Others allow leaving the bike in any location. It figures Uber would attempt to get the benefits of a rack without paying for it.

Similar to those people who abuse public roads to park their private vehicles curbside.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#237

Post by rtpg »

darkstar999 wrote: post #209
cjensen wrote: post #201

Abusing public bike racks to hold private rental inventory. The best bike shares build and operate their own racks with permission from the city. Others allow leaving the bike in any location. It figures Uber would attempt to get the benefits of a rack without paying for it.

Is finding bike parking a problem there? If not, why does it matter? "Abusing" is a strong word. How about "using them for what they were made to do without breaking any law or social contract".

The parking spaces are meant to be used as a public good. Uber is taking this space and using it as commercial storage.

It's the same as if someone shoes up to a public beach and starts laying towels and beach chairs everywhere, and then charges people to use the beach chairs. Or if someone started using water fountains to fill up water bottles to sell at the park.

There's a pretty common notion that if you're using a public good to make money, there's some expectation of money changing hands. An expectation beyond those when things are just for personal use.

Re: Uber Bike – A New Way to Commute or Explore

#240

Post by btrettel »

bbarn wrote: post #203

Opinion: Bike sharing will never be more than barely above break even. I am a big bike advocate. I have 12 bikes downstairs, I've raced, and nearly every vacation I've taken in the last 15 years has been bike related. I don't even mind the e-bike trend as much as some people, and I am an uber user occasionally. I still can't see this working. People like me, who absolutely love bike commuting, we can't stop our bikes…

You make a great point with respect to an average person. But I think your experience with theft is atypical for someone as dedicated as you are.

I've commuted by bike for about a decade and I've never had a bike stolen. Once I had the seat stolen off a beater I left at a train station, but that was expected. I use two locks, one a hefty cable and the other a U lock with the cable for the other wheel. My philosophy is that if I can't take the bike in, then I'll make my bike seem harder to steal than the next one. Could be luck, but so far, so good.

When I lived in Baltimore I'd take my bike in every night. I was told anything out at night was liable to be stolen. Now I am in Austin and that's not necessary, though I do it anyway.

During the day I lock my bike up at work and aside from the occasional piece of trash people put in my rear crate, doesn't look like anyone touches it. That was true in Baltimore too.

My current commuter cost about $1100 new. I bought it used for about half that about 4 years ago. So not a cheap bike either.

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