You can spin anything to make it seem negative and pathetic but the reality is that it's neat to travel as a tourist to a city like NYC and find a bargain on something like bike-share rides that gives you an activity and a different way to see the city than you otherwise might choose. In fact, once people take the bargain ride/route, they might like the bike share system enough to pay for more rides in other areas they want to see.



This is all assumptive. If they tried offering the free/discount rides and nobody took them up on it, that would mean they'd have to look further for solutions. You never know who's willing to do what until you offer the opportunity.

So do you think I could start a staffing agency and find job seekers and put them on bikes, running around the city? Or do you think the opportunity would be like magnets, offering $2 or $3 a ride?

I looked around at the streets and on the subways today. Everyone had somewhere to go. If I stopped you on the way to work and asked you to take a quick 10 minute bike ride and I would pay you $3 for it, you'd say, "Naw man, I gotta get to work. I can't take a minute for that sh*t." Well, if you were a New Yorker, you might sound like that.

It's a simple promotion: "free rides between certain stations;" "free trial bike-share rides between certain stations;" "see NYC by bike: free bike-share rides between designated docking stations."

If no one takes advantage of the offers, then you know you're right. Until you try, you only know what you assume.

The other possibility is to charge a premium/surcharge for biking between popular station. The extra money raised from the surcharge could pay people to ride the bikes back. Worst case scenario: you charge enough to pay to bring the bikes back by truck, but the question is whether that is worth anyone's time to load them in the truck and deliver them.

The list is certainly not up to date. Pittsburgh PA has had a bike share program for a while now.

http://pghbikeshare.org/

I used the bike share in Glasgow Scotland. It was great. If you were a member I think you got the first either few miles or 10s of minutes free. After that it was only... a pound for 10 minutes? Super cheap and easy. I spent 10 pounds on it in the week I was there.

I wonder if I could get the ear of someone who might consider this. Maybe they've thought of it, and maybe they haven't.

They have an interesting pricing scheme. I think I like it. An annual membership is £60 which is $86 US. Here is the rest.

http://www.nextbike.co.uk/media/440/fares_uk.png

What measures do you go through to feel safe on a Bike share bike?

Reasons to not wear a helmet on a Bike Share bike?

A photo of Brisbane's bike share ...

https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1703/2...55f7e1da_z.jpg

Do any of you use bike share bikes as part of your commute?

Because you don't have one with you. And it's pain to carry one.

The same reasons as to not wear a helmet on any other bike. Check the helmet thread on A&S for more details, if you want them.

I'm a member of Citi Bike here in NYC, but I can't use it for commuting because I have a long commute, almost 14 miles. About two days a week, I ride my own bike. I have enough room in my apartment for a bike, and I bring it into my office at work and stand it up near my desk, obviating one reason for bike shares (interior space). The service area goes up to 110th St. I live near 10th St and work at 240th St, well beyond the service area.

Even if Citi Bike reached that far -- and I hope it does one day, for many reasons -- I don't want to ride those 50 klunkers for 14 miles. On the rare occasion I ride it 5 miles or more, it gets annoying and tiring.

I use Citi Bike for social and shopping trips. It has gone up to $155/year, which is still insanely cheap, even for me, and I use it less than many people do.

Occasionally, I'll do something silly like ride it from the station near my home to a station near the subway station, so I get in a half-mile-or-less ride. I do it because I'm dying to ride and will take whatever I can get. I may or may not save time this way, but I do gain a little fun.