[Mihairokov]

Had the pleasure of using HelloRide in China over the past three weeks and I think the biggest difference between that (national) system and BikeShare here is the speed in which QR codes could be read. Here it feels like splitting the atom sometimes trying to get the app to read the code on the bike, but there I can get a blurry image throwing my phone around in the dark and it still picks it up.

This is aside from the fact that bikes can be parked and picked up nearly anywhere rather than using docks.

 

[Northern Light]

Had the pleasure of using HelloRide in China over the past three weeks and I think the biggest difference between that (national) system and BikeShare here is the speed in which QR codes could be read. Here it feels like splitting the atom sometimes trying to get the app to read the code on the bike, but there I can get a blurry image throwing my phone around in the dark and it still picks it up.

This is aside from the fact that bikes can be parked and picked up nearly anywhere rather than using docks.

Send this tidbit directly to the Mayor's Office.

Bikeshare is about to get new boss, this is the moment to consider just this type of thing.

mayor_chow@toronto.ca

 

[kotsy]

This is aside from the fact that bikes can be parked and picked up nearly anywhere rather than using docks.

I'd rather have docks. It's just a more organized way to do things.

But, this is coming from someone that lives around a good number of docks and has a good number of docks near usual destinations..

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

I am presuming that a dockless system exacerbates all the issues relating to the lack of bikes in Midtown.

I too would prefer docks and more staff/contractors distributing bikes across the system, over a dockless system.

 

[jcam]

I'd rather have docks. It's just a more organized way to do things.

But, this is coming from someone that lives around a good number of docks and has a good number of docks near usual destinations..

Bikeshare wants to move to electric bikes as a wider proportion of their overall fleet, and that requires docks for charging anyway.

 

[Cambry Ardship]

I think having the docks works well as an organizing principle. I understand that it means higher capital requirements (plus maintenance and replacement down the road) but it makes the system very legible and visible in a way that I think simply having 6000+ bikes strewn around the city does not.

I know, more or less, balancing issues excepted, that if I go down my road a little ways there is a place that I can always take out or return a bike, and that's really valuable and gives users stability for planning and using the system.

 

[afransen]

Bikeshare wants to move to electric bikes as a wider proportion of their overall fleet, and that requires docks for charging anyway.

I would not say required. Mississauga has a dockless ebike system. The operator has a van fleet that patrols and swaps low state of charge batteries.

 

[TwinHuey]

I'd rather have docks. It's just a more organized way to do things.

But, this is coming from someone that lives around a good number of docks and has a good number of docks near usual destinations..

Nice has a dockless bike system.

As seen there in March....

 

[Mihairokov]

Too bad about Nice. Here's dockless Wuhan:

I understand the point you're trying to make but one picture is not necessarily indicative of how an entire system is treated or used.

 

[daptive]

Too bad about Nice. Here's dockless Wuhan:


View attachment 651285

I understand the point you're trying to make but one picture is not necessarily indicative of how an entire system is treated or used.

We live in a city where this happens with a docked system, I don't really have high hopes for some Torontonians and a dockless system.

 

[Mihairokov]

We live in a city where this happens with a docked system, I don't really have high hopes for some Torontonians and a dockless system.

Seems more like a societal issue than one where the issue is the docked-or-not system.

You'd think that a system that uses phones to scan bikes from specific accounts would be able to track down which users do what with their bikes, but that would also require enforcement...

 

[kotsy]

We would almost certainly look more like Nice than Wuhan.

 

[daptive]

Seems more like a societal issue than one where the issue is the docked-or-not system.

You'd think that a system that uses phones to scan bikes from specific accounts would be able to track down which users do what with their bikes, but that would also require enforcement...

I mean this thread is about Toronto’s bike share and I think people on this thread who support a docked system versus dockless are doing so with our city (and its inhabitants) in mind.

 

[Mihairokov]

We would almost certainly look more like Nice than Wuhan.

I mean this thread is about Toronto’s bike share and I think people on this thread who support a docked system versus dockless are doing so with our city (and its inhabitants) in mind.

Sure, I just think it's a shame that we put limits on ourselves because of how we assume our people will act. We should always strive for better and with a positive attitude, IMO.

Edit - As an aside, I think people here are far too negative and harsh on the city in general. Perhaps that's just the nature of online forums these days, but even when my plane landed at Pearson yesterday the guy behind me was very audibly moaning that it'll take us "three hours to leave the airport" as we were waiting to de-board because "it's Toronto". Oh, it was raining yesterday? "So Toronto!". As if we're the only place with traffic or weather. Give me a break. It makes me incredibly tired.

 

[afransen]

Seems more like a societal issue than one where the issue is the docked-or-not system.

You'd think that a system that uses phones to scan bikes from specific accounts would be able to track down which users do what with their bikes, but that would also require enforcement...

I imagine that this was a mis-docked bike that someone else took off the dock and vandalized. Or the odd foolish person that left their bike unattended.