Originally Posted by
Mobile 155
Fine, a zip car is not as nice as a BMW. Changes nothing in my post. But still you rent by the 1/2 hour like a hotel room verses a home or even an apartment. It is better for people who like their equipment to be of higher quality and performance to have that quality and performance. have you ever looked at all of the rules to bike share? Sure it fine "if" there is a station close to where you want to go. But have you looked into what happens when you have a flat? You are responsible for calling customer service, you are responsible for making sure it is locked up. Those of us who love our bikes and like to ride them carry a tube or patch kit and can change a tire. By the time customer service got to you, another birthday could come and go.
If the station is full and you can't check in your bike you are responsible for getting the bike to another station.
I hope you aren't late for work. As I said it may have a place but it sure isn't better than having your own bike. And for those who love bikes, adequate is not good enough and putting up with is not the same as enjoying the ride. Some side reading might help with this debate:
http://www.bcycle.com/bknowledge.aspx
Look at what the renters responsibility can be if the bike isn't returned on time, if you have a flat, if you are in an accident. Better than having your own bike? Only if you don't want your own bike and are primarily a pedestrian. If I lived where one was needed I would use a folder, that fit me and what I expect in a machine or tool.
Sure, mobile155, you can always win an argument when you attack a proposition that nobody has offered. Nobody here has argued that bikeshare bikes are better quality than those you can own. Nobody here is forcing you to rent the damned things if you don't like the terms of service or don't find them convenient. So why do you feel the need to tell us all the terrible things about programs that many people use and enjoy? Several people here are singing the praises of these programs as additions to their personal-bike use or as serving a community of bike-users beyond those who choose to own and maintain their own bicycles. And some people here have said that for some users, taking advantage of a bikeshare program is better than owning a bike. Is that not OK with you?
These programs are proliferating because they are popular. Maybe there are cities where racks of bicycles are sitting unused- the programs in those cities, if they exist, will soon fold. But in every city I've been in where there are such programs, I see people all over the place on bike-share bikes. If all of there experiences were so terrible, I doubt that would be the case.