View Poll Results: will you use the bikes?

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  • i'd wheeley like to (yes)

    9 36.00%
  • i'd like to keep my face intact (no)

    6 24.00%
  • only if they get rid of all the cars first (maybe)

    5 20.00%
  • where's london and whats a bike? (couldnt care less)

    5 20.00%
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Thread: London bike hire

  1. #1
    boop, got your nose stevie lee's Avatar
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    London bike hire

    for all you londoners out there and people who are visiting london, will you be using the new bike hire scheme thing?


    there was one set up in southport earlier this year and it isnt working. will you southerners be able to show us northerners how to do it properly?

  2. #2
    Formerly known as Andehh Andeh13's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    I think it is a very good idea!

  3. #3
    Raging Bull DeludedGuy's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    It's a good idea but needs to be expanded outside central London. I would need to get a bus to the nearest one from where I live.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Andy3536's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by stevie lee View Post
    for all you londoners out there and people who are visiting london, will you be using the new bike hire scheme thing?


    there was one set up in southport earlier this year and it isnt working. will you southerners be able to show us northerners how to do it properly?
    Just out of curiosity, what have they done different than the one's before?

    The one set up im Paris only lasted a few days as all the bikes were stolen or vandalised. They must have done something to improve security for the bikes?

  5. #5
    Pseudo-Mad Scientist Whiternoise's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy3536 View Post
    Just out of curiosity, what have they done different than the one's before?

    The one set up im Paris only lasted a few days as all the bikes were stolen or vandalised. They must have done something to improve security for the bikes?
    Sorry, but that's tosh - I went to Paris less than a month ago and everyone was riding on them, they're ridiculously popular over there. Perhaps they've changed the system, but it's still going strong over there.

    As for security, it's £150 if you don't return within 24 hours and £300 if you fail to return the bike entirely. Plus, they're pretty distinctive bikes, you're not going to be able to sell one on eBay...

  6. #6
    Senior Member Andy3536's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by Whiternoise View Post
    Sorry, but that's tosh - I went to Paris less than a month ago and everyone was riding on them, they're ridiculously popular over there. Perhaps they've changed the system, but it's still going strong over there.

    As for security, it's £150 if you don't return within 24 hours and £300 if you fail to return the bike entirely. Plus, they're pretty distinctive bikes, you're not going to be able to sell one on eBay...

    No it's not Tosh! when it was first opened it was closed shortly after. If they've changed it i didn't know that. But how about a few manners?

  7. #7
    boop, got your nose stevie lee's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    the scheme in london seems like a carbon copy of the paris one. (from the little ive read about it anyhow)
    the original paris one, they did have loads of bikes pinched and vandalised, theyve changed the way the bikes are hired so they know whos got what now (and consequently, who to send the bill to )

    the one in southport is done completely differently. theres a central hub at the train station where you go along, register and you can hire the bike from them. or you can be staying at a hotel, ring them up and theyll come out at hire a bike. some bikes are at the hotels, some at the train station, some at the Eco Centre.

  8. #8
    Pseudo-Mad Scientist Whiternoise's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy3536 View Post
    No it's not Tosh! when it was first opened it was closed shortly after. If they've changed it i didn't know that. But how about a few manners?
    Apologies, but I did say perhaps they'd changed the system. I thought you meant they'd ditched it entirely.

    It's an interesting problem though, if you look at tourist websites like TripAdvisor, bike hire is rated as the most popular activity. Something like 50 million trips had been taken by mid 2009. Weird how people are going for the hire bikes and not just normal people's.

  9. #9
    Now with added sobriety Rave's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Where's the option for 'I live in London but I already have a decent bike and I have no interest in paying to ride a crap one?'.

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    Re: London bike hire

    No, I would not.

    There are several reasons. First, given the traffic in London, the idea of cycling does not appeal to me at all. Second, I don't live in London, so it'd only be when visiting, and usually, when visiting, it's for a purpose and I'm carrying stuff (like brief case, laptop, camera gear, etc) and would not be interested in doing that on a bike.

    Third, the charging structure. There's no point, for me, in getting a bike to go from A to B unless there's a station close enough to B to not leave me some distance from B, with a lengthy walk, carrying my stuff. I'd rather get a cab. And, if I leave the bike locked up at B, and I note they don't provide locks so I've got to buy and carry one, and some toerag nicks or even damages the bike, I'm going to end up with a bill for £150 to £300.

    Or, when does "damage" get assessed? Unless every bike station is manned and every bike checked on or out as per hire cars, and I don't believe that will happen, then it's potentially a game of musical bikes, and the last one standing gets the bill, or at least, potentially gets the bill. That implies that you've got to carefully check a bike over before taking it out, and if you miss something, you could end up with the bill.

    And the £150 late return charge is a no-no for me, too. What if plans change, or I'm not feeling well? Even the basic cost structure is unappealing to me. £3 for the key, then an "access" charge, then a usage charge. If I want a bike for a morning meeting, it;s going to be £1 access. plus £15 for four hours, with that rising rather steeply to £35 (£6 in total) for six hours if I go a bit over the four hours by mistake. Sorry, but I'd rather get a cab and/or tube, and not take the risk of that £35, let alone the £150 or £300 charges if something goes wrong.

    It may well be that this scheme is a good idea for some users with some types of usage pattern, but for me, it does not appeal at all. And I'm a bike owner and cyclist.

  12. #11
    Hello jackvdbuk's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by Rave View Post
    Where's the option for 'I live in London but I already have a decent bike and I have no interest in paying to ride a crap one?'.
    These bikes are made to last, they weigh around 500kg.

    i have been on a stationary one, basically advertising


    EDIT: i stand corrected - read saracens post below - was about 4 months ago i sat on one
    Last edited by jackvdbuk; 31-07-2010 at 10:21 PM.

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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by jackvdbuk View Post
    These bikes are made to last, they weigh around 500kg.

    i have been on a stationary one, basically advertising

    you have to pay both a subscription fee i.e 24 hours or one year

    and a rental fee.. but it free for every 60 mins so you have to exchange the one your on for a different one every hour
    30 minutes fee, not 60. Transport for London costs page.

    Also, though you say it, just to be clear to anyone not reading too closely, you pay

    1) Access fee.
    2) Usage charge.

    If you pay access over the longer term, (7 days for £5, or annually for £45) then that 30 minutes of actual usage is free. For occasional users that do not pay for longer term usage, then you still pay the £1/day to access them, but then, you can certainly get multiple 30 minute chunks within that period for no additional cost .... unless it gets damaged (up to £300), nicked (£300), or you fail to get it back on time or have a given cycle more than 24 hours (£150). Oh, and if you fail to notice that you didn't get a "green light" when you redock the bike, the meter keeps running and heads you for that £150 charge .... or even £300 if someone else vanishes your "unreturned" bike after you leave it.

    So be very careful about the green light. Oh, and what happens if the docking station (or bike) isn't working and you can't get a "green light"? Say goodbye to £150??? Or have an argument with TfL over it? Good luck with that.

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    Re: London bike hire

    It's something I'd be interested in, but they'd need to expand it outside central London and at the moment it's way to expensive, might as well use the bus/tube. Would be a nice alternative to the night bus home from the pub
    I don't mean to sound cold, or cruel, or vicious, but I am so that's the way it comes out.

  15. #14
    boop, got your nose stevie lee's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    reading the last few posts, it makes the pricing for the southport one seem cheap. although saying that, the prices have been altered 3 times this year and will probably be altered again shortly, mainly because hardly anyone is using the scheme so they need to recoup the costs.

    As Rave said - everyone who wants to ride a bike, already has one.

    I wonder how long it will be before someone copies one of the keys and distributes it around wherever dodgy stuff is sold.


    and theres not any more poll options, because its my first poll and i dont really know what im doing

  16. #15
    Studmuffin Flibb's Avatar
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    Re: London bike hire

    The idea behind the system is that you dont lock the bikes up outside your office, they need to be redocked so they can stay in use, hence no lock provided with the bike. Once all the bike docks are operational you shouldnt be more than a few minutes walk from one. The reason the first 30 minutes is free is so that you use them for short journeys, drop them off, then pick another one up after short break, and the cost of that is £1 a day, use it for longer and they start charging.

    Cant see the problem, they seem to be popular on the commuting bike forums already, races are being organised as I type. Theres also lots of apps apearing on the various smartphones, info such as nearest dock, how many bikes available, and empty slots can be shown. Once the system goes fully live I will grab one on my next visit to London.

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    Re: London bike hire

    Quote Originally Posted by Flibb View Post
    The idea behind the system is that you dont lock the bikes up outside your office, they need to be redocked so they can stay in use, hence no lock provided with the bike. Once all the bike docks are operational you shouldnt be more than a few minutes walk from one. The reason the first 30 minutes is free is so that you use them for short journeys, drop them off, then pick another one up after short break, and the cost of that is £1 a day, use it for longer and they start charging.
    That's why I said, in my first post, it depends on usage patterns. But it's not just about pooping to the office, with respect to a lock. Suppose you want to nip down the road for a pint of milk. You'll be in the shop a few minutes, but when you come out, the bike could be gone and as you're then £300 down, that suggests you either need a lock, or you don't use it for that type of purpose.

    I understand that if the objective is to get from A to B, where you dock the bike and then get a different one (assuming one is there) when you need it, and that may sometimes maybe suitable but sometimes it won't. And it does reduce the number of occasions when a free 30 minutes will be any use.

    But the charging structure also clearly anticipates some longer uses than just that brief trip, because of the structured usage costs. For someone, for instance, visiting London and going from location to location be it shops or tourist spots, it's only going to appeal if there are sufficient docking stations, with sufficient bikes, close enough to the relevant shops and tourist spots. Certainly, as far as I'm concerned, there's no point mucking about with a bike to get from King's Cross to Oxford Street if the nearest dock is 10 minutes walk from the shop I want, because it'll take me 10 minutes each way, meaning a 20 minute walk to collect and return the bike.

    That's why I say it doesn't much interest me. There are too many issues, too much of the time, in the circumstances under which I might visit London. It's just not worth the mucking about. I'll stick to tube, cab and, on occasion, Shanks' pony.

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