New stationless bike rental scheme in Dublin - BleeperBike

LeinsterDub

tomasrojo wrote: »

I saw a Bleeper bike at a stand over the weekend somewhere. I was wondering the same.

If they can't even collect all there bikes during a recall it doesn't bode well for them

LeinsterDub

TheShow wrote: »

they need to start looking at expanding beyond the canal.

DCC don't have the capital for it. Irish government is investing in ev car sharing scheme instead.

Chuchote

LeinsterDub wrote: »

DCC don't have the capital for it. Irish government is investing in ev car sharing scheme instead.

Bad thinking; cycling is far cheaper on roads, as well as for the health system…

One or more commercial stationless bike share schemes would work out simpler, if the Corpo can get its by-laws together.

ED E

LeinsterDub wrote: »

DCC don't have the capital for it. Irish government is investing in ev car sharing scheme instead.

DCC make lots of money from on street parking. They wont act properly until that particular carrot is removed.

tomasrojo

Very positive review of the Mobike stationless scheme in Manchester:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/jul/06/manchester-mobike-review-better-than-londons-boris-bikes

Helen Pidd is a reliable journalist, I find.

Eamonnator

tomasrojo wrote: »

Very positive review of the Mobike stationless scheme in Manchester:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/jul/06/manchester-mobike-review-better-than-londons-boris-bikes

Helen Pidd is a reliable journalist, I find.

No chain.
How are they driven?

ED E

Eamonnator wrote: »

No chain.
How are they driven?

There is a chain/belt, just enclosed for reliability.

tomasrojo

Looks like a shaft drive.

EDIT: Yeah, shaft drive. And single speed, I think, she says in the article? Very minimalist. Nice idea, for short distances.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobike

LeoD

I think Bleeper Bikes are a terrible idea but these Mobikes are really interesting. I'm particularly impressed by the fact that you don't have to lock them to anything which would otherwise easily be a cause of public inconvenience. The only thing that could put me off is your personal movements would be recorded but I don't think many people are concerned about privacy issues in the smartphone age anymore. If the bikes can last the 4-5 years without getting wrecked then kudos to the people behind them.

Eamonnator

I think those bikes look very practical. I imagine, almost maintenance free.
But what's to stop the local heroes throwing them in the nearest body of water?

tomasrojo

Yeah, even more than the usual bike-share bikes, the Mobike bikes seem to be dedicated to journeys of 1km or so. Solid tyres (I think?), one gear, no basket.

LeoD

Eamonnator wrote: »

But what's to stop the local heroes throwing them in the nearest body of water?

Nothing from what I can see! I'm going to guess that Mobike hope the novelty wears off those who would be entertained by this after the first few sink?

ED E

Eamonnator wrote: »

But what's to stop the local heroes throwing them in the nearest body of water?

Same thing was said for DBs, never happened. Arguably stationless is more vulnerable but only time will tell there.

LeoD

tomasrojo wrote: »

Yeah, even more than the usual bike-share bikes, the Mobike bikes seem to be dedicated to journeys of 1km or so. Solid tyres (I think?), one gear, no basket.

Custom fittings so no point robbing them for parts either. I've used the Velib bikes in Paris and while I think they are great, I find it a bit of a pain registering for a 2-3 day ticket and subsequently releasing bikes from the stations. Mobikes on the otherhand look like the proverbial piece of piss.

Eamonnator

ED E wrote: »

Same thing was said for DBs, never happened. Arguably stationless is more vulnerable but only time will tell there.

But, as I understand it, these bikes are not locked to anything, The DBs are.

ED E

Eamonnator wrote: »

But, as I understand it, these bikes are not locked to anything, The DBs are.

DBs are most of the time, but are often left with their flimsy cable lock. A determined guerrier could easily depart with one if they were bothered.

tomasrojo

Yeah, I'll be interested to see how the Mobikes pan out in Manchester over the next year. They do have fewer obvious antisocial safeguards, but I guess they probably are coming here very soon, so we'll find out.

ED E

Scobe vs Chav; FIGHT!

magicbastarder

worth mentioning that there was a chap at the DCC AGM from a dockless bike sharing company, who mentioned (probably quite deliberately) that they've been consulting with various local authorities about how best to launch; they intend to launch in several irish cities.

http://fullspeedbikes.com/

expectationlost

Draft Dublin City Council Control of Stationless On-Street Bicycle Hire Bye Laws 2017 4 week consultation https://consultation.dublincity.ie/traffic-and-transport/draft-dublin-city-council-control-of-stationless-o/ its always special when an org tell you how you can inspect a document at their offices that is online

The City Council meeting of the 3rd July approved the initiation of a public consultation process. A copy of the Briefing Note on the proposed Bye-Laws together with a copy of the draft Bye-Laws may be viewed her or inspected during normal office hours over the period Wednesday 12th July to Thursday 10th August 2017 inclusive at the offices of the Environment & Transportation Department, Floor 6, Block 2, Civic Offices, Fishamble Street, Dublin 8. Copies of the Briefing Note, and the draft Bye-Laws are available free of charge from this office, telephone (01) 222 2232 or below.

https://www.dublincity.ie/councilmeetings/documents/s10643/Stationless%20Bike%20Share%20Schemes.pdf

tomasrojo

Dockless bikes in London now:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/jul/12/londons-first-dockless-hire-bike-scheme-launches

expectationlost

tomasrojo wrote: »

Dockless bikes in London now:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2017/jul/12/londons-first-dockless-hire-bike-scheme-launches

do the matching paint scheme on the bike stand suggest new bike stands for obike?

tomasrojo

Yeah, I was wondering that too.

expectationlost

a review of the obikes here https://www.gicentre.net/blog/2017/7/12/obike-london-first-impressions I wonder of the purposefully made to be uncomfortable so you won't use for them long

tomasrojo

expectationlost wrote: »

a review of the obikes here https://www.gicentre.net/blog/2017/7/12/obike-london-first-impressions I wonder of the purposefully made to be uncomfortable so you won't use for them long

There are also exposed brake cables which may be vulnerable to malicious tampering (in contrast to the Santander bikes which are pretty much tamper-proof).

The concern about the seat post is reasonable too.

The standard Velib-style schemes are really well designed to avoid theft, blocking footpaths, tampering, component theft, etc. Maybe some of these dockless bikes meet the same criteria, at least partially, but I'm a little bit sceptical still.

Nevertheless, we're going to find out, so I don't have to pontificating about it.

ED E

Ahahaha, once one young fella discovers the saddles are removeable they'll all be gone.

tomasrojo

I'm assuming the Mobike ones don't have that flaw, but I have no idea.

I do wonder whether the Velib-style schemes could be made a bit cheaper by copying some of the dockless traits: e.g. switching to single-speed shaft gears and solid tyres. I mean, they'd be much worse bikes, but probably still ok for 1- to 5-km journeys.

ThisRegard

Obikes in the UK in trouble with claims of littering the streets with bikes and not having told the councils they're launching


http://www.businessinsider.com/local-councils-unhappy-after-obike-littered-the-streets-of-london-with-thousands-of-yellow-bicycles-2017-7?r=UK&IR=T

Hammersmith & Fulham Council published a blog post on Friday in which it criticised the way oBike launched its service. It said that around 400 bikes "appeared" on Thursday morning "without any consultation at all." It went on to say that "most [of the bicycles] had been left at right angles to the kerb, partially obstructing the footpath, and creating a potential hazard for pedestrians - particularly the disabled."

Hackney Council also expressed its concern over the launch of oBike in London. Feryal Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, transport and parks, said in a statement that "we are disappointed that Obike have not tried to contact us to tell us the scheme is happening." She went on to reference issues with bikes being left on pavements, and said that Hackney Council was unaware of how the bikes would be redistributed.

https://twitter.com/MrPassingham/status/885827277300412416

ED E

Add mobike to the mix.

Two weeks on and I fear that a dream is all it was. There are Mobikes in the canal, Mobikes in bins and I am fed up with following the app to a residential street where there is clearly a Mobike stashed in someone’s garden. On launch day, the Chinese designer told me the bikes were basically indestructible and should last four years without maintenance. It took a matter of hours before local scallies worked out how to disable the GPS trackers and smash off the back wheel locks.

And

He finds comfort in the Mancs recovering Mobikes missing in action: a boat owner fished one out of the canal and it will be ready to ride again soon after a bit of TLC.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/16/manchesters-bike-share-scheme-isnt-working-because-people-dont-know-how-to-share?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Chavs 1 : Scobes 0

HivemindXX

the bikes were basically indestructible and should last four years without maintenance

To me this basically sounds like they don't plan to do any maintenance. Because that's cheaper.

Anyone who thinks these bikes are not more vulnerable to petty vandalism is fooling themselves. However the Belfast bikes are basically the same system as Dublin Bikes and apparently they have significant problems with vandalism and theft. The only logical explanation I can see for the difference is that there are not as many people intent on mindless vandalism where the Dublin Bikes are generally located. Just because stationless bikes are having major problems in UK and some Chinese cities does not mean they cannot work here.

I think a properly run operation could work well. I think this means actually having a significant number of staff to maintain the fleet of bikes and to relocate them when needed. They need a robust mechanism for ensuring that people don't leave them where they block footpaths or entrances or on private property (leaving it locked up in your own garden seems like a good scam to ensure you always have one available). I don't think some vague claims about having a points system will cut it.

Luckily there seems to be multiple companies looking to compete in Dublin so I hope at least one does work out.

expectationlost

HivemindXX wrote: »

To me this basically sounds like they don't plan to do any maintenance. Because that's cheaper.

Luckily there seems to be multiple companies looking to compete in Dublin so I hope at least one does work out.

and a mess it will be as they compete, same as happened elsewhere

ED E

Look at the money.

Stationed system: DCC Investment + Advertising Deal Revenue + User Subs+fares

Stationless system:

€5 top up gets 5 rides
€25 top up gets 27 rides
€75 for 12 month 2 rides a day membership

Thats not a whole lot of cash to have re-deployment teams + a maintenance garage + live monitoring and repay their investment.

I don't believe they'll really be moving misplaced bikes.

ED E

From twitter:

I tested @ObikeUk v @SantanderCycles up Swaines Lane. Obike too heavy, gearing bad & dynamo intrusive. unusable on london #obike #borisbike

https://twitter.com/mehimher/status/886860273159634944

Santander cycles arent exactly swift (DBs are better IMO) so thats a pretty low bar to lose to.

tomasrojo

Yeah, just saw the disillusioned Helen Pidd piece -- same journalist that wrote warmly about Mobike a week or so ago.

Basically, though I'm happy to be proven wrong about dockless bikes, the dock-based system has substantial and proven safeguards against hoarding, vandalism, component theft, inconsiderate parking and dumping. We mostly don't appreciate what a clever system it is

queldy

Has anyone been able to use the scheme?
I downloaded the app, only finds one bike/station; either all the bikes are permanently used (good for the company!) or something is not working properly.
Any advice?

cheers

ED E

queldy wrote: »

Has anyone been able to use the scheme?
I downloaded the app, only finds one bike/station; either all the bikes are permanently used (good for the company!) or something is not working properly.
Any advice?

cheers

They're still offline following DCCs cull I thought?

MOH

ED E wrote: »

Look at the money.

Stationed system: DCC Investment + Advertising Deal Revenue + User Subs+fares

Stationless system:


Thats not a whole lot of cash to have re-deployment teams + a maintenance garage + live monitoring and repay their investment.

I don't believe they'll really be moving misplaced bikes.

Were they not gong to be selling advertising on the bikes themselves?

ED E

Presumably (there's less space though).

The advertising I mentioned was these JCD billboards the city sold for funding.

LeinsterDub

Just got an android update. Wonder if relaunch 5 or is it 6 is immanent?

petethedrummer

ED E wrote: »

Add mobike to the mix.

Two weeks on and I fear that a dream is all it was. There are Mobikes in the canal, Mobikes in bins and I am fed up with following the app to a residential street where there is clearly a Mobike stashed in someone’s garden. On launch day, the Chinese designer told me the bikes were basically indestructible and should last four years without maintenance. It took a matter of hours before local scallies worked out how to disable the GPS trackers and smash off the back wheel locks.

And

He finds comfort in the Mancs recovering Mobikes missing in action: a boat owner fished one out of the canal and it will be ready to ride again soon after a bit of TLC.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/16/manchesters-bike-share-scheme-isnt-working-because-people-dont-know-how-to-share?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Chavs 1 : Scobes 0

Mobikes, Mo Problems.

ED E

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Just got an android update. Wonder if relaunch 5 or is it 6 is immanent?

Two tweets today. Seems to be back moving.

They appear to be partnering with DCU.

Chuchote

ED E wrote: »

Two tweets today. Seems to be back moving.

They appear to be partnering with DCU.

Between DCU and a student housing place?

Doctor Bob

Chuchote wrote: »

Between DCU and a student housing place?

DCU has three main sites - Glasnevin, Drumcondra (St. Pat's) and All Hallows - plus a couple of satellite locations such as sports grounds and an Innovation campus. Seems like a sensible choice for a roll-out.

http://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/info/images/dcu_map_multicampus_2016.pdf

buffalo

Doctor Bob wrote: »

DCU has three main sites - Glasnevin, Drumcondra (St. Pat's) and All Hallows - plus a couple of satellite locations such as sports grounds and an Innovation campus. Seems like a sensible choice for a roll-out.

http://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/info/images/dcu_map_multicampus_2016.pdf

There's also the Tony Ryan Academy, bit of a hike for many I imagine though: https://goo.gl/maps/RweacaVbULQ2 :pac:

tomasrojo

That was briefly my daily cycle (well, Killester to CityWest). It was a bit time-consuming, and I wasn't using a Bleeper Bike.

expectationlost

Doctor Bob wrote: »

DCU has three main sites - Glasnevin, Drumcondra (St. Pat's) and All Hallows - plus a couple of satellite locations such as sports grounds and an Innovation campus. Seems like a sensible choice for a roll-out.

http://www.dcu.ie/sites/default/files/info/images/dcu_map_multicampus_2016.pdf

yeah but could have all the same problems if people are leaving bikes outside DCU https://www.facebook.com/gstudentvillage/photos/a.1246155475424146.1073741829.1185650121474682/1626502384056118/?type=3&permPage=1 do people require student id number to sign up?
says they are coming to WEST of Ireland too, UCG ? http://www.bleeperbike.com/#bleepernews

monument

magicbastarder wrote: »

worth mentioning that there was a chap at the DCC AGM from a dockless bike sharing company, who mentioned (probably quite deliberately) that they've been consulting with various local authorities about how best to launch; they intend to launch in several irish cities.

http://fullspeedbikes.com/

Someone from the company is speeking again tonight, where 10 people will be going rapid-fire insights from Velo-city 2017, which took place in the Netherlands.

monument

ED E wrote: »

From twitter:


https://twitter.com/mehimher/status/886860273159634944

Santander cycles arent exactly swift (DBs are better IMO) so thats a pretty low bar to lose to.

I was hoping Obikes were half ok, I was thinking of cycling one 45km or so from Amsterdam to Utrecht in two weeks from now.

The company told me it's ok to leave the bike in Utrecht even though they have not launched there yet. Part of me still thinks it'd be littering to do so.

Chuchote

SofBank is bringing dockless bike sharing to Japan

https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/09/ofo-softbank-japan-dock-less-bikes/

Asia ofo SoftBank Group business economy
SoftBank partners with China’s Ofo to bring its dock-less bikes to Japan
Posted Aug 9, 2017 by Jon Russell (@jonrussell)
Next Story

A month after committing to help WeWork enter Japan, SoftBank is lending a hand to another global unicorn with its sights set on the country. Today, it announced a tie-in that will bring Ofo’s dock-less bike rental service to Japanese soil.

Ofo, which has raised more than $1 billion from investors such as Alibaba, Didi Chuxing and DST Global, claims over 100 million registered users and eight million bikes, each of which can be left anywhere and hired by scanning an attached QR code via the Ofo app.

Ofo will work with SoftBank C&S — the firm’s division responsible for IOT, robotics and the cloud — on the Japan launch. The initial plan is to bring Ofo’s bikes to Tokyo and Osaka in September ahead of a presumably wider expansion that will happen at a later date.

magicbastarder

seems that dockless bikes have been causing issues elsewhere:

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/article/14091/yellow_bike_plague_being_tackled_on_the_streets_of_wandsworth