Originally Posted by
buzzman
...... Bike share is here to stay because it works and satisfies a need that standard private rentals just can't compete with adequately.
Competition with a government entity? Compete with a business model that has no concern for profit?
Military forts, posts, and bases used to have recreational equipment for use and/or rent as did some national parks. It took many years for local businesses to ban together and work their way through the courts. Causing a ban on such federally funded recreation programs. If there is a viable opportunity for successful bike rentals..... it will end up in private [for profit] hands.
I really doubt any of us will be renting bicycles for short-quick trips around downtown Detroit.... or any of the other roughly two dozen failing American cities. When cities can't pay basic service employees.... parks and recreational activities are sometimes overlooked. Federal funding has kept bicycle centric projects going in my area. But I don't expect to see bike rental projects sweeping the nation.
I would guess some cities will enjoy hugely popular, successful, and expanding bicycle rental programs. While similar programs run in other cities will fail miserably. Then both the successful and the failed programs will end-up in private hands by order of the courts.