Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
Not really, unless you consider "profitable" just being able to function/exist as long as the charity handouts/donations keep coming, and hoping the operation doesn't fold up when/if the benefactor tires of it.
Bike shares are easily profitable because of the low cost of mass-producing the bikes. Personal bikes cost a lot because they are sold through small shops to a relatively elite customer base. That customer base won't change because of bike-sharing, because it's a different market. Share bikes are for getting around when and where you wouldn't want to ride your good, expensive bike. E.g. it's disconcerting to leave a good bike locked at a transit stop so it makes sense to take a share bike if possible. Since these share-bikes can be mass produced for such a low cost, it doesn't take that much to cover their cost. Then, if they are durable, they will outlast their break-even point and be all-profit. The point of them isn't really to make profit, though, but to provide reliable bike options in situations where bringing your own personal bike is not convenient.
If a 'benefactor' would 'tire of' funding a bike share, it could be organized to run on user fees. It's just a question of divvying up the cost of buying the bikes and maintaining them. As long as no one is conspiring to run them out of business with vandalism, etc. it should be possible for users to maintain the system, assuming no one gets involved and drives up costs somehow.