On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:
On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote:

What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant
rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements.
A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental
car.

Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs
$3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes.


Yikes!


... $9.95
per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45
minute trips.


It would not work for me. Most of my trips are 4-5h total riding time.


... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90
minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).

They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the
bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist
rental places.


They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who
combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting
and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere
and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100
times. Without having to watch the time.

This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much
value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive
to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along.


The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the
bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or
behind their fence, or dump it in a stream.

On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their
bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even
that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to
avoid getting bumped.


Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite
permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are
transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk
of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore,
despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back
home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that
is also a good muscle and endurance exercise.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/