[bikeqld] free Citibikes in Brisbane

[Ian Lister]

On Thu, 22 Jan 2009, Anthony Lee wrote:
> With respect to the Courier Mail article, do you agree with Ben Wilson?

Specifically, this bit?

[ From 
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24949645-952,00.html ]
> Bicycle Queensland manager Ben Wilson said the bike hire scheme was for 
> short-term not all-day use. "And for that, it's very reasonably priced," 
> he said.

Yes, I do generally agree with that. The bike hire scheme is undoubtedly 
targeted at short-term not all-day use, and half an hour for "free" is 
undoubtedly cheap.

I think the issue of whether the bike hire scheme _should_ be targetting 
all-day use instead of or as well as short-term use is separate. I 
certainly see that having higher turnover makes the system more efficient 
(i.e. cost-effective, or profitable, I suppose), and I have sympathy for, 
and probably tend to support the point of view that, all things 
considered, this is a good trade-off to make.

I was a little surprised by the cost of the "free" scheme. The annual 
charge ($55) is comparable to the Parisian equivalent (E29) but the daily 
charge ($10) is significantly higher than the Parisian equivalent (E1). 
The "charge" (penalty, really) for overnight use ($150) is quite steep, 
but also comparable to the Parisian equivalent (~E100). Given the 
Translink Go Card experience, I imagine there might be more than a few 
people getting hit with these penalties (rightly or wrongly) and making a 
fuss about it.

One reservation I have about the pricing is that half an hour might be a 
bit tight for some common trips under the scheme (e.g. between UQ and the 
CBD). Those bikes look like clunkers, they only have three gears (if 
they're like the French ones), and not everybody is as fit or keen to get 
sweaty as some of us on this list. On the other hand it's still only $2, 
which is cheaper than the bus (for an adult).

So yes, I think that for semi-frequent short term use (as intended) the 
scheme is reasonably priced.

[ Anthony continues: ]
> I don't think the cost is at all reasonable. I wondered how many bicycle 
> hire left their business under the assumption that this was going to be 
> free?

I would imagine very few, if any. I think the focus of the new scheme on 
short-term use has been clear since the outset. The general fee structure 
(and magnitude of the fees) is similar to the schemes overseas, as I 
believe BCC/Newman always said it would be. Certainly anybody running a 
potentially competing bike hire business and considering closing it as a 
result would have looked at the proposal closely enough to see that. They 
might have still decided to close their business, but if it was as a 
result of misunderstanding the new scheme I don't think they have anybody 
to blame but themselves.

Cheers,

Ian