Does anyone know if Bike for Good managed to recruit someone to do the fleet servicing and redistribution of the hire fleet?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme
(1600 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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https://twitter.com/profscottthinks/status/1026498889321467905
Warning on the stem of the hire bikes:
"CAUTION: Always cross tram tracks at least at 45 degrees and use the red crossing lanes"
Posted 6 years ago # -
Some good, some bad and some ugly followers of Prof Scott on twitter
Posted 6 years ago # -
spotted this planning application for a Bike Docking station in George Square.
Posted 6 years ago # -
There's another, older, planning application for one near the blood donation centre on Lauriston Place.
I saw a launch date of 17th September in a university newsletter. That's the first day of term, though, so I don't know if it's the actual launch day for the scheme or if it's a university event.
Posted 6 years ago # -
The bikes also have indication painted on the handlebars of which brake is front and which is back.
I heard a rumour that maybe up at university and other similar zones there might be post code drop off rather than return to docking station?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Mark Beaumont has confirmed launch date is 17 September.
Posted 6 years ago # -
We could call them "Gammon" bikes after all the gammons they will make apoplectic.
John Gai___ in the EEN comments section, I'm looking at you.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"Under the new rollout, there will be 3 ways to hire a bike using a simple smartphone app.
They will range from Single trip, Day subscription, Annual membership
The scheme’s hire charges are as follows:
*£1.50 for a single trip of up to 1 hour
*£3 for a day subscription, allowing unlimited hires of up to 1 hour each in a 24 hour period
*90 usersp for an annual membership, allowing hires of up to 1 hour each for 365 daysFor each of the charging options, hirers can enable ‘extended rentals’ to enable trips of more than 1 hour.
Trips of over 1 hour will incur an additional £1 charge for each extra 30 minutes. Bikes can be returned to any cycle hire point at any time, with the closest available stations shown in the app that will be ready for users to download. The initial three-year concession agreement will deliver a minimum of 500 manual bikes by April 2019."
https://www.scotsman.com/news/hire-cost-revealed-for-new-edinburgh-bike-scheme-1-4785994
Posted 6 years ago # -
£1.50 for a single trip of up to 1 hour
Hmmm, not convinced they're going to drag many people off the bus or out their car with this scheme.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"£3 for a day subscription"
Cheaper than Abelio Bike'n'Go.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Why one hour? From my experience of the London hire bikes, I reckon any reasonably competent cyclist could cover around four miles in the 30 minute "free" slot. Given the spacing of the Edinburgh hire stations I can't see many bikes being taken further than that - probably more like 1 to 2 miles. The shorter time encourages better circulation of bikes. Drop the price to £1 for 30 minutes and I think more folk might be willing to give it a go.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"Hmmm, not convinced they're going to drag many people off the bus or out their car with this scheme."
Me neither, although perhaps waiting to see a version that hasn't been through the Chipwrapper's patented garbler may be wise.
Other schemes' costs for comparison:
https://www.nextbike.co.uk/en/prices/
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/cycling/santander-cycles/what-you-pay
https://www.ofo.com/uk/en
https://mobike.com/uk/blog/post/new-bikes-new-pricesPosted 6 years ago # -
Folk who are not regular, or very used to cycling probably have no idea far or fast they'll go.
30 minutes might seem quite a short time. 1hr might give them reassurance they'll get to their destination without incurring additional charges.
£3 for a day - with unlimited "up to" 1 hr hires seems good value for a visitor to me.
The annual subscription for only £90 should appeal to commuters who travel in by bus/train then need an onward ride.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Think they should have made "£3 a day" the headline instead of "£1.50 per trip".
Are we going to have a contest to see who can get one the furthest away from the city centre and still return it within an hour?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Three now in the rack outside Waverley Court
Posted 6 years ago # -
The rate is cheaper than a bus ticket, at least.
Posted 6 years ago # -
"The rate is cheaper than a bus ticket, at least."
Well yeah, but you can ride all the way from Wallyford to Balerno (or Seton Sands to Clermiston) on a bus for just £1.70. Good luck pedalling a hire bike on the equivalent route within the one hour limit! Also you would need a docking station at, say Wallyford station, then another at, say Balerno bus terminus.
The £3 a day is pretty good value, I can see it being a popular option with folk visiting the city and wanting to explore independently a bit. Can also imagine quite a few of these bikes travelling between festival venues in, say Leith and the city centre.
Posted 6 years ago # -
To my mind, these bike hire schemes aren’t designed for people who ride their bikes everywhere or regular cycle commuters (except perhaps for final mile, station to work folk). They’re for ad hoc journeys. The ideal is that someone in St Andrews Square hops on one to get to the West End, or the University, or Leith. They make every pedestrian a potential cyclist.
I’m going to use them as a means of getting from one place to another when I don’t have my bike with me. Say I’ve walked into work so I can listen to a podcast and now I fancy getting home a bit quicker. Or I’ve got a meeting across town, or I’m going to get bladdered in Stockbridge so don’t want to take my bike with me, or whatever.
Of course, this all depends on how well distributed the docking stations are (I’ll need one within reasonable distance of home and work), but if they’re sensibly placed I’ll be taking out the annual subscription and hopping on these bikes to shorten any of my 20 minute walks across town.
It also needs better segregated infrastructure or much reduced motor traffic to make it more attractive to the average punter. Or the average punter sees the great utility of bikes for short trips, also realises just how hostile the traffic in the city can be and decides it’s time to put a stop to all that.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@PS sounds reasonable. I parsed walk into work so I could listen to a podcast a bit queerly to start with, e.g. Why do you have to go to work to listen to a podcast but I then understood you meant listen to a podcast whilst walking to work, e.g. David Sedaris?
Posted 6 years ago # -
@gembo indeed. Would like a job that involved listening to (decent) podcasts, but it’s the act of walking not working that allows me to listen to the pod.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@ps, probably not that much money in job of reviewer of decent podcasts?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Don’t imagine many people pay per trip without subscription on these schemes
£3 daily is a great tourist rate and £90 annually quite ok (hopefully pay monthly available, it’s a big whack upfront)
Hope Lothian Buses can launch a bus+bike ridacard
Posted 6 years ago # -
I look forward to reports on how the bikes handle hills. I know the gear ratios have allegedly been tweaked to suit the terrain but 3-speed fills me with some trepidation. My first 'returning to cycling' bike was a vintage Raleigh Twenty 3 speed and, had I not inherited my leccy bike, my foray into cycling might have ended there.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Brighton have an annual sub of £72 for their scheme currently
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Trixie Leccy bikes are to be added to the scheme
Posted 6 years ago # -
Aye, I've probably got the legs now to (just about) deal with it anyway. It's just I remember how grim I felt as a returning bike-ist after just 2 miles on a 3-speed so I wonder how the average population will find these.
Posted 6 years ago # -
average population will find these
I suspect they'll all be found at the bottom of the Royal Mile or Leith, can't imagine many people wanting to ride them back up.
Posted 6 years ago #
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