Dublin Bike Scheme

_blank_

Right. Let's try this again.

From the start, let's have a little Mod Note shall we?

If anyone starts with crap like "It's shoite, the scumbags will destroy it", well, you can feck off. We know what people think about that, thanks very much. If you type anything like that, you'll be banned. I think that's pretty simple to understand. If you engage with anyone who types that, you'll get a longer ban.

OK, with that out of the way;

How does this scheme work?

This evening I have need to get from Talbot Street to Christchurch, and this bike scheme seems to be a pretty good way of doing that.

What do I have to do?

Can I sign up online, and then just head on out to the bike station on Talbot Street, and jaunt on up to Christchurch, should take no more than 15mins, then leave my bike back and bob's yer uncle, it's free?

Cheers.

Spear

Des wrote: »

Right. Let's try this again.

From the start, let's have a little Mod Note shall we?

If anyone starts with crap like "It's shoite, the scumbags will destroy it", well, you can feck off. We know what people think about that, thanks very much. If you type anything like that, you'll be banned. I think that's pretty simple to understand. If you engage with anyone who types that, you'll get a longer ban.

OK, with that out of the way;

How does this scheme work?

This evening I have need to get from Talbot Street to Christchurch, and this bike scheme seems to be a pretty good way of doing that.

What do I have to do?

Can I sign up online, and then just head on out to the bike station on Talbot Street, and jaunt on up to Christchurch, should take no more than 15mins, then leave my bike back and bob's yer uncle, it's free?

Cheers.

http://www.dublinbikes.ie/

http://www.dublinbikes.ie/how_does_it_work/frequently_asked_questions

€150 deposit needed first it seems.

babyhack

Des wrote: »

Right. Let's try this again.

From the start, let's have a little Mod Note shall we?

If anyone starts with crap like "It's shoite, the scumbags will destroy it", well, you can feck off. We know what people think about that, thanks very much. If you type anything like that, you'll be banned. I think that's pretty simple to understand. If you engage with anyone who types that, you'll get a longer ban.

OK, with that out of the way;

How does this scheme work?

This evening I have need to get from Talbot Street to Christchurch, and this bike scheme seems to be a pretty good way of doing that.

What do I have to do?

Can I sign up online, and then just head on out to the bike station on Talbot Street, and jaunt on up to Christchurch, should take no more than 15mins, then leave my bike back and bob's yer uncle, it's free?

Cheers.

Have been using the scheme at least twice a day since day one and IMO I think its great.

Getting from Christchurch Place to Merrion Square East in 8 mins every morning and then from Merrion Square East to St. Stephen's Green South in 5 mins for college in the evening

The only problem I have found is that after the first week to many people signed up (think there is over 6000 people signed up and only about 400 bikes) getting a bike at Merrion Square at 5 in the evening can be hit or miss and I always seem to get one of the last spots in the morning when parking up

As for you question about Talbot Street I dont think you can pay at that point (and you cant get a 3 day pass online)

I think its a great scheme and am hoping they roll it out more

BH

Spear wrote: »

€150 deposit needed first it seems.

This money is not taken unless you fail to return the bike to a station in 24 hours

Dublin Bikes wrote:

The guarantee (€150) is only debited in the event of theft or failure to return the db within 24 hours

Its just a guarantee on your credit card

AnonoBoy

Yeah you can buy a 3 day pass at one of the pay stations - I believe there's a list of which ones you can pay at on the website.

Whatever you do, don't sign up for the yearly one if you want to use it today because you have to wait for a card to be sent out to you.

BraziliaNZ

yup i got the yearly membership, they're cool, bit of poke in them considering the state of them to look at, use them most days on lunch break as it means i don't have to get my own bike out of sheds and stuff. They seem pretty secure and would be hard to destroy even if scumbags wanted to.

DecentBee

Signed up for yearly membership almost 2 weeks ago, still no card. Bit annoying since my housemate got his 2 days after signing up.

Dord

I signed up when the membership opened up. I think it was a few weeks before the opening. I've used them a few times during lunch when I needed to go further down town to get something. Fairly handy and surprisingly fast!

The main problem I see is that the roads are pretty rough around town. You just have to be careful with this. I lost my lunch a week or two ago when I hit a pothole on baggot st. It was in the basket.

If you need it right now and don't have the yearly card then just get the 3 day pass. Sign up for the card afterwards. It's only €10 per year and even if you only use it a handful of times it'll still be worth it!

admiralofthefleet

one thing that i have been wondering is what if you take a bicycle from talbot street and go to christchurch and find there is no space to place the bike?
do you have to go and find a space somewhere else and incur more charges?

babyhack

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

one thing that i have been wondering is what if you take a bicycle from talbot street and go to christchurch and find there is no space to place the bike?
do you have to go and find a space somewhere else and incur more charges?

If you ring DB they will add 15 mins onto your free time for you to find a station, they will even tell you the nearest station and how many free spots it has

Also there website has a map that tells you how many bikes and free spots are at each station, There was also a great IPhone app (free) from an Irish company called Fusio that did this but Due to a threat of legal action from J.C. Decaux the app was pulled from the app store

BH

admiralofthefleet

babyhack wrote: »

If you ring DB they will add 15 mins onto your free time for you to find a station, they will even tell you the nearest station and how many free spots it has

Also there website has a map that tells you how many bikes and free spots are at each station, There was also a great IPhone app (free) from an Irish company called Fusio that did this but Due to a threat of legal action from J.C. Decaux the app was pulled from the app store

BH

that seems a little shortsighted on their part, the whole idea of the scheme is to get people moving around the city faster isnt it? if you cant park then taking the bike was a waste of time. maybe they should have left half of the points empty

AnonoBoy

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

that seems a little shortsighted on their part, the whole idea of the scheme is to get people moving around the city faster isnt it? if you cant park then taking the bike was a waste of time. maybe they should have left half of the points empty

There are more spots that there are bikes, not sure how many. It is inevitable that some spots will become more popular for parking at certain times of the day. However I think they move the bikes around a bit themselves to even things out - although I could be wrong about this.

Also if you arrive at a station and it's full I don't think you have to ring DB to get your 15 minutes. I think you get it automatically from the terminal and it will tell you where the nearest available spot is.

ArmaniJeanss

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

that seems a little shortsighted on their part, the whole idea of the scheme is to get people moving around the city faster isnt it? if you cant park then taking the bike was a waste of time. maybe they should have left half of the points empty

40 stations in total with most having 20 stands (some 25, some 15) so roughly 800 stands for 450 bikes.

You soon get to know when/where you can bag a spot, and they have vans moving bikes around and they are supposedly examining the usage pattern to see when/where bikes have to be moved to.
My local station Earlsfort Terrace is an example of a problem, basically impossible to get a space between 9.00 and 10AM, and then the bikes disappear like clockwork between 17.00 and 17.30.

Its slightly unfair to accuse them of being shortsighted though, this was always an expected problem and there is probably no permament solution though you can do some tweaking to alleviate it. (Its still a problem in Paris apparently, 3 years into their scheme).

Dord

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

You soon get to know when/where you can bag a spot, and they have vans moving bikes around and they are supposedly examining the usage pattern to see when/where bikes have to be moved to.
My local station Earlsfort Terrace is an example of a problem, basically impossible to get a space between 9.00 and 10AM, and then the bikes disappear like clockwork between 17.00 and 17.30.

I've noticed this on Earlsfort Terrace too. It tends to get fairly empty during lunch hours also but there's a high turnover so if you wait for 5 minutes someone should come back with a bike.

I saw the JCD truck during lunch offloading bikes at the Stephens Green station so they are attempting to make sure that there are bikes free where needed.

babyhack

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

My local station Earlsfort Terrace is an example of a problem, basically impossible to get a space between 9.00 and 10AM, and then the bikes disappear like clockwork between 17.00 and 17.30.

Merrion Square East is the same

Its really not a problem with the system, Merrion Square is mainly offices and any station was going to be used alot

BH

Epic Tissue

admiralofthefleet wrote: »

one thing that i have been wondering is what if you take a bicycle from talbot street and go to christchurch and find there is no space to place the bike?
do you have to go and find a space somewhere else and incur more charges?

Was thinking the same.. this would put me off using it

WindSock

They don't take laser for subscriptions

Dord

The stations are fairly close to each other so it shouldnt be that bad. Plus, each station can tell you how many free spaces the local stations have and they have a map on the back.

markpb

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Also if you arrive at a station and it's full I don't think you have to ring DB to get your 15 minutes. I think you get it automatically from the terminal and it will tell you where the nearest available spot is.

If you get there and there are no spaces, you swipe your card on the terminal and since it knows you have a bike out, offers you 15 minutes extra rental free of charge as well as showing you the list of closest stations that have spaces. A map would be handy but overall it works well.

WindSock wrote: »

They don't take laser for subscriptions

They can't because they need to be able to charge you the €150 if you damage or lose the bike. If you used a Laser card, there's a (good) chance your account wouldn't have €150 in it.

stepinnman

Speaking as someone who has used them every day since the scheme began - usually from Charlemont to Christchurch and back again, but also at lunch time to most of the other stations - I think the scheme is one of the best things to arrive in Dublin in a long time.

For those of us not accustomed to cycling around town it opens up a whole new side of the city and for commuters, such as myself, it saves time in the morning and evening and, although we're only talking 10-15 mins, has definitely improved my quality of life, in that it enables me to get home maybe 30 mins earlier than usual and leave the house in the morning 15-20 mins later!!

Only once in the 3 weeks since the scheme has started have I had the problem of a full/empty station but as you're never really too far from the next station it really is a very small problem in the scheme of things.

boosh_fan

I like the scheme - i used it in Seville when I lived there but I find (in both cities) you can't really rely on it. I have a bike in Dublin but I like the idea of DBs for days when I want to get home from town & don't have my bike for whatever reason or I'm out for drinks and need to get into town but don't necessarily know how I'll get home.... but you can't beat your own bike!

When the scheme started I used the bikes one day to go to Guinness Storehouse, just off James St. Looked up the list (that they send - no map!) and saw James St East on the list & assumed it was the east of James St. Ended up cycling round and round before I finally rang the company to find out that James St East is off Baggott St & the nearest station to the Storehouse is Christchurch!!!! Ended up cycling to Smithfield and walking up - almost as far as it would've taken to walk initially. Later that day cycled ffrom baggot st to Smithfield again only to find there were no stations. Nearest free station was Bolton St - bit of a walk again back down to Smithfield.

So, there are flaws in the system (frustrating ones at that) but provided you're not relying on the scheme for work or deadlines then you should be fine with it. I agree with the poster who said it's a great addition to the city - now bring on the better cycle lanes!!!!

stovelid

Looks good.

I'm looking forward to using it.

Would be nice if they extended the bike area a little further on both sides of the city eventually.

Dord

boosh_fan wrote: »

I like the scheme - i used it in Seville when I lived there but I find (in both cities) you can't really rely on it. I have a bike in Dublin but I like the idea of DBs for days when I want to get home from town & don't have my bike for whatever reason or I'm out for drinks and need to get into town but don't necessarily know how I'll get home.... but you can't beat your own bike!

When the scheme started I used the bikes one day to go to Guinness Storehouse, just off James St. Looked up the list (that they send - no map!) and saw James St East on the list & assumed it was the east of James St. Ended up cycling round and round before I finally rang the company to find out that James St East is off Baggott St & the nearest station to the Storehouse is Christchurch!!!! Ended up cycling to Smithfield and walking up - almost as far as it would've taken to walk initially. Later that day cycled ffrom baggot st to Smithfield again only to find there were no stations. Nearest free station was Bolton St - bit of a walk again back down to Smithfield.

So, there are flaws in the system (frustrating ones at that) but provided you're not relying on the scheme for work or deadlines then you should be fine with it. I agree with the poster who said it's a great addition to the city - now bring on the better cycle lanes!!!!

There is a station in smithfield, just at the lower end of the plaza close to the Luas track. Also there's one up beside the old motor tax office (not exactly Smithfield I think but it's very close!)

TarfHead

Do these bikes have lights ? With the end of Summer Time a few weeks away, will the bikes be usable at dusk/when dark ?

NervousNude

Yes they have both a front and back light that come on automatically, no matter what time of day it is. I'd imagine they're linked to some sort of dynamo. Spent a good while looking for a switch when I first took one out! Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how the lock works? Is it linked to your pin number?

Dord

NervousNude wrote: »

Yes they have both a front and back light that come on automatically, no matter what time of day it is. I'd imagine they're linked to some sort of dynamo. Spent a good while looking for a switch when I first took one out! Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how the lock works? Is it linked to your pin number?

Actually I think they're just run off a battery that's charged when you "dock" it in the station.

There's a picture diagram on the "dashboard" part of the bike showing how to use the lock.

howiya

Was really interested in signing up for this so went on to their website. Filled in all my details, went looking for my IBAN for the direct debit. Really annoyed when I get to the end that you have to print out a form and send it off to them.

Whats the point in their website

markpb

howiya wrote: »

Whats the point in their website

For people with credit cards, for information about the scheme and for maps

I presume they need your signature for the direct debit so there's no way it can be done online.

xebec

NervousNude wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how the lock works? Is it linked to your pin number?

Haven't used the lock yet, but from what I've seen you insert the loose end and then there's a key (inside the part that is covered when the bike is at a station) that is used to open and close it...

howiya

markpb wrote: »

For people with credit cards, for information about the scheme and for maps

I presume they need your signature for the direct debit so there's no way it can be done online.

So if you sign up with a credit card you don't need to send them proof of address?

markpb

howiya wrote: »

So if you sign up with a credit card you don't need to send them proof of address?

Nope, you do everything on-line. They don't need your address because they can take the €150 off your card if you disappear with the bike.

howiya

markpb wrote: »

Nope, you do everything on-line. They don't need your address because they can take the €150 off your card if you disappear with the bike.

Sounds like less hassle doing it that. Cheers

howiya

Signed up with the credit card. Much less hassle. I noticed however that I am subscriber number 18145.

Aren't there only 450 bikes? Will there be more?

boosh_fan

Dord wrote: »

There is a station in smithfield, just at the lower end of the plaza close to the Luas track. Also there's one up beside the old motor tax office (not exactly Smithfield I think but it's very close!)

The one in Smithfield was full. So were all the others close to it - the machine tells you the nearest. Nearest free ones were Bolton St or Christchurch. As I said - frustrating but the scheme is (practically) free so can't really complain to much!

Vim Fuego

howiya wrote: »

Signed up with the credit card. Much less hassle. I noticed however that I am subscriber number 18145.

Aren't there only 450 bikes? Will there be more?

Wow, I was in the 9000s when I signed up just over 2 weeks ago. I hope there is more added, though I can't imagine this happening very quickly.

Yakuza

Vim Fuego wrote: »

Wow, I was in the 9000s when I signed up just over 2 weeks ago. I hope there is more added, though I can't imagine this happening very quickly.

I signed up last week (Mon iirc) and my number was just shy of 11000. Judging from a press release from dbs around the same time, it said that over 10000 annual and temporary signups has been made, so I'm guessing the vast bulk of the subscriber numbers are from folks getting the 3-day pass for €2. If I'd been desiging their database, I'd have used a different numbering scheme for the annual and temporary users.

Vim Fuego

Ah right, I see. Yes, separate numbering would have made more sense. 18,000 annual subscribers would be impressive.

AnonoBoy

howiya wrote: »

So if you sign up with a credit card you don't need to send them proof of address?

You have to supply your address for them to post out your card to. You can't use the annual membership without the card AFAIK.

howiya

AnonoBoy wrote: »

You have to supply your address for them to post out your card to. You can't use the annual membership without the card AFAIK.

I did that but when I attempted to sign up with the direct debit option they wanted signed forms and proof of address. Too much hassle in my opinion.

lightening

I quoted all the negative views and predictions about the Dublin Bike scheme in an older thread and Sparks came out with this...

You went to the trouble of having a dead thread re-opened just so you could have a sneer at the posters who were wrong? Bravo you.

Backfire eh! I didn't mean it to look like that, sorry, I wasn't sneering. But if you read the article in the Sunday Tribune, you will see that the Dublin bike scheme is one of the most successful on the continent. I just don't think things like this should be written off before they are introduced.

MementoMori

Anyone else been dazzled by the lights on the front of the bikes during the day? Seem to be very erratic and seem to flash very bright at moments.

As far as I an see it's the only downside.

MementoMori

The article from the Tribune

Didnt realise that it had earned the council 120k already - an average of €20k a week is pretty tasty. If that keeps up it is worth just over a million a year to the council. Wonder just how much of that would be spent on cycling facilities in Dublin.

Free-wheeling fair city

Massive take-up of free bicycles makes it the most successful scheme of its kind on the continent
Mark Hilliard

DUBLIN's free bike scheme has surpassed the 50,000 journey mark with just a single stolen bike to spoil the celebration – and that one was found.

The scheme has been hailed a massive success with 11,000 subscribers in the six weeks since its launch, more than twice the number predicted to join up in the first two years.

Dublin City Council, which runs the service with French company JC Decaux, says it is now the most successful scheme of its kind on the continent.

The unexpected level of participation will have netted the council around €120,000 to date, even with 93% of journeys being under half an hour and thereby free of charge. And there have been few problems.

"One bike was stolen from a member while on hire," a council spokeswoman said.

"The member reported this to the gardaí and the bike was recovered damaged. Two bikes on short-term membership were not returned but were subsequently located undamaged."

The scheme, which was launched on 13 September, would have cost the council €26.5m over 15 years to run it single-handedly.

Instead, JC Decaux supplies the bikes and pays for their upkeep in exchange for permission to erect 72 metro panel advertising boards which they will operate for the next 15 years.

While the deal attracted some initial criticism when it was revealed, council officials now believe it a complete success.

"The system is aimed primarily at people who are open to the advantages of cycling who don't own their own bike," a spokeswoman said.

"The location of the stations makes it easy for people to use a Dublin bike to attend a business meeting in town, visit a city attraction or venue or simply enjoy a pleasant cycle around town.

"About 75% of journeys have been by long-term members. People can also join as three-day or 72-hour members; there have been over 3,000 of these."

There are 450 bikes at 40 docks scattered around Dublin and each bike has been specially designed to avoid theft.

With an average journey time of just 16 minutes, Dublin City Council insists it is not a money-making scheme – the first 30 minutes are free.

Bicycle use as a whole in Ireland has decreased over the years, except in the capital where, between 2002 and 2006, it increased by 6%.

The free bike scheme is also designed to benefit the 5.6 million tourists who visit Dublin each year, many of whom come from countries with similar schemes.

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2009/oct/25/free-wheeling-fair-city/

humberklog

lightening wrote: »

I quoted all the negative views and predictions about the Dublin Bike scheme in an older thread and Sparks came out with this...

You went to the trouble of having a dead thread re-opened just so you could have a sneer at the posters who were wrong? Bravo you.

Backfire eh! I didn't mean it to look like that, sorry, I wasn't sneering. But if you read the article in the Sunday Tribune, you will see that the Dublin bike scheme is one of the most successful on the continent. I just don't think things like this should be written off before they are introduced.

Without any sarcasm intended...Bravo you Lightening.

Such a success, brilliant to see it. Hopefully it'll be a positive catalyst for the City elder lemons to take the provision of cycle lanes seriously.

afatbollix

used it for the first time today... Have to say its great...

I never usally go that far from work due to having to get back before the hour is gone but now i think ill be doing different things around the city during breaks..

Anyone know a car park beside one thats cheap? im paying 12 euro a day and i feel like im being raped...

spurious

It amazes me the city council consider the deal a success when JC Decaux have not removed ONE of the promised billboards, no EAS has taken place, or any of the other conditions of them getting planning permission for the horrid big 'Metropole' things..

Delighted the bikes are a goer - terrible pity they had to be tied up with a shower like JC Decaux. The bike scheme could easily have been done by DCC alone.

howiya

According to the Irish Times last Saturday, some 11,500 have signed up as long term users. Also reported are the plans you talk about to expand capacity although I can't see any mention of extra bikes.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1024/1224257392022.html

chughes

I signed up recently for the yearly scheme and my number is not far of 21000. I had my first trip the other day and it was very good.
I wonder has anyone gone for a long spin yet. I wonder how far is it possible to go while still remaining within the rules of usage.

vektarman

chughes wrote: »

I signed up recently for the yearly scheme and my number is not far of 21000. I had my first trip the other day and it was very good.
I wonder has anyone gone for a long spin yet. I wonder how far is it possible to go while still remaining within the rules of usage.

Two students from TCD cycled to County Down on DB bikes and returned them within the time limit, it was mentioned in boards, I'll see if I can find the link.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/friends-take-city-bikes-across-border-within-24hour-limit-1904192.html

chughes

County Down is a serious spin alright. I was thinking maybe Greystones or Balbriggan. Did the students have any evidence of this trip ? (Photos/witnesses)

chughes

I've just seen your posted link now Vektarman. Thanks for that. I see the guys had to get a lift back. I not surprised as I'd say it was hard work cycling those bikes that distance.

bugler

I've been on the bikes a handful of times now, and I've noticed the following:

1. The seat doesn't raise quite high enough for me. I'm not that tall (6'1), and it makes cycling a bit uncomfortable as my legs never fully extend.

2. The brakes are uniformly stiff on any of the bikes I've been on. Is this is a deliberate tactic to stop people flying over handlebars city-wide?

3. You can change gears but be prepared to wait a few seconds for it to actually happen.

4. Despite the operators apparently being aware of the problem, there is a long way to go to get certain stations balanced in terms of stock of bikes. The station just off Nth Frederick St is routinely empty at weekends. This Monday morning at 7.30 am there were only 2 bikes there, and I yoinked one.

I hope increasing subscriber numbers and poor rotation of bikes between stations doesn't restrict the functionality of the service.

boosh_fan

the lock in the basket makes a handy drink holder