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Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

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Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unconscionable contracts, especially when one of the parties is a taxing jurisdiction, have no ethical force. I'm not certain that this was an unconscionable contract, but you have to at least make the argument. What consideration did the people of this municipality receive in exchange for this encumbrance placed on their liberty?

I read the contract as being about the use of publicly owned space for the docks. That seems more like a municipal corporation making a stupid agreement than it does an encumbrance on anyone's liberty. Rent private space for your bike racks...

Which might make sense in the city’s view that it is a deal about docks, not about all bikeshare.

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#72

After Lyft/GoBike removed all their electric bikes, SFMTA decided to expand dockless bikeshare so people can continue to commute by bikeshare. But Lyft decided to sue instead: https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/7/18657312/lyft-bike-share-l...

I wouldn't defend the SFMTA They make SF objectively worse by being pro car (no lime, bad public transports)

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#73
post #60
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure I agree that the city has the moral authority to grant a monopoly on such a concept. I like Lyft just fine and I especially applaud their efforts to expand into ebike-to-transit. But I also have a little trouble feeling sorry for a company that feels it has suffered a loss because its out-and-out regulatory capture scheme didn't pan out as successfully as it hoped.

You don't really have to feel sorry for them, you just have to recognise that they are entitled to what their contract says they are. If you're against an exclusivity agreement (which actually makes a lot of sense when establishing a transportation network) then your complaint should be with the government, not Lyft.

It is pretty rich one of two billion dollar ride sharing tech companies who disrupted the corrupt taxi monopolies by illegally skirting regulations is now suing a city for damages over a contract they claim gives them a legal exclusivity to operate bike sharing. Same people who cried foul over the taxi token system and called it a monopoly...just goes to show what SV disruption is all about.

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#74
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't really have to feel sorry for them, you just have to recognise that they are entitled to what their contract says they are. If you're against an exclusivity agreement (which actually makes a lot of sense when establishing a transportation network) then your complaint should be with the government, not Lyft.

A widespread belief that transportation should not be competitive might explain why it functions so poorly. How is this different from banning all but one automaker?

Europe

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#76
post #43

I was in SF this week and had a chance to try this out. They have 0 (zero) e-bikes despite their app has a column to list the count. They also force you to pick up the bike from designated racks and drop-off at designated racks which is a pain in the ass. On the other hand JUMP has a fully e-bike fleet, but bikes were impossible to come by. I parked a JUMP bike that had full battery. An hour later I came back and the…

>They also force you to pick up the bike from designated racks and drop-off at designated racks which is a pain in the ass. I mean it's pain in the ass when I have to move the crap from the front steps of my building or out of the driveway because people aren't courteous their dockless transport widgets. I'm alright walking a little ways to dock a bike/scooter as a user, but I'm firmly against any company or city tha…

You're talking about cars right?

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#77
post #55

That is until Lyft gets bored with it and axes it like Lime did to their bikes. Now my town is vacant if any rental bikes, despite their promise of fixing our "last-mile" problem to our train station.

> That is until Lyft gets bored with it and axes it like Lime did to their bikes. These seem to be be "docked". Wasn't Lime's problem that they were "dockless" and wound up being trash everywhere?

I can't read this seriously knowing that cars take 1000000x more space

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#78
post #49
post #43

I was in SF this week and had a chance to try this out. They have 0 (zero) e-bikes despite their app has a column to list the count. They also force you to pick up the bike from designated racks and drop-off at designated racks which is a pain in the ass. On the other hand JUMP has a fully e-bike fleet, but bikes were impossible to come by. I parked a JUMP bike that had full battery. An hour later I came back and the…

The Ford e-bike fleet got pulled due to some bikes experiencing too strong a braking force on the front wheel. They've been working on a redesigned e-bike and that will be coming soon.

The Ford e-bike fleet got pulled because $15/month for unlimited access to e-bikes was untenable and the few, bad bikes was good cover to pull them.

When they come back they'll be $3 for the first 20 minutes just like the Uber bikes in SF now.

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if I don't care whether Lyft gets their ROI and just want the best bike share possible?

You probably should be upset with the city for granting the monopoly in the first place. Now that they have, I'm not sure. Maybe there's a legal and ethical way to break the contract, but arguing dockless bikes aren't bike sharing probably isn't it.

you are just making the taxi medallion owner's point against Lyft and Uber

Re: Lyft Takes over Ford GoBike

#80
post #77
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That is until Lyft gets bored with it and axes it like Lime did to their bikes. These seem to be be "docked". Wasn't Lime's problem that they were "dockless" and wound up being trash everywhere?

I can't read this seriously knowing that cars take 1000000x more space

It doesn't matter how little space they take up when you have to step over them every morning ...

My comment was that I thought that Lime stopped because they couldn't make the dockless work because the bikes wound up as trash everywhere. Your comment brings nothing to that discussion.

I have no problem with these services taking up a parking space every block or two in order to put in a dock.

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