Dublin Bikes - Day to Day Issues

Rashers72

Just thought I would start a thread about any day to day issues, or positive experiences anyone has with Coca Cola Dublin Bikes.
Includes station outages, bike problems, suggestions, redistribution patterns.
I personally think the service is struggling since the expansion was implemented, and I don't think they are good with giving feedback (I emailed them twice before with a problem, and never got any acknowledgement never mind a response),

ArmaniJeanss

Working perfect for me on my journey*, and much better than it was 4 years ago as its now very rare that I can't get a bike from my start point or run into space problems at my destination. No complaints.

* HatchSt area to Smithfield area around 17.30.

Snickers Man

I still think it's the best 20 euro I have ever spent but the one thing that SERIOUSLY pisses me off about them is how they collect that subscription. Last year they sent me a mail in MARCH telling me that it was due. They took it out of my account in SEPTEMBER.

In these days of managing cash flow to avoid or at least limit bank charges that is a major pain in the arse. Take the money out when you say you're going to take it out. Ya bastards!!!

Rashers72

Snickers Man wrote: »

I still think it's the best 20 euro I have ever spent!

Agree about the price, although it did double from previous years. Also increasingly I find that I find stands empty when I go to take in the evening or full when I go to return, and now end up paying 1-2 excess time fees a month, because I cannot find a nearby station free. Maybe I am just unlucky, as I often have journeys in the 20-25 min bracket, and am trying to make a train

Hunterbiker

I find the app useful in checking available slots at bike racks I plan to use.

cee_jay

Rashers72 wrote: »

Agree about the price, although it did double from previous years. Also increasingly I find that I find stands empty when I go to take in the evening or full when I go to return, and now end up paying 1-2 excess time fees a month, because I cannot find a nearby station free. Maybe I am just unlucky, as I often have journeys in the 20-25 min bracket, and am trying to make a train

You shouldn't be charged when you try return a bike and thr station is full. I thought if this happens log onto the terminal and they will give you an extra 15 minutes free. The terminal will also tell you the nearest station which has space.

marvin80

I think it's a great service and worth the €20 every year.

The only time I find it hard to find bikes or empty parking space is lunchtime but I guess it's tricky enough to keep all the stations at the perfect level of having enough bikes and parking spaces.

I think they could have a facebook and twitter page - to promote Dublin Bikes a bit more, especially for tourists. Also I've found one or two bikes with punctures at terminals, and some terminals not working - I'd find sending a tweet a fast and convenient way of letting them know these issues.

I find this app tp be the best:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jcdecaux.dublinbikes&hl=en

yosser hughes

One thing I noticed with these bikes is that there does not appear to be a facility to indicate a bike is faulty when you return it. In London you could press a button or there is an indicator light to say it is faulty. I can't qute recall now.

Perhaps there is a facility at the monitor/card reader or whatever it's called?I never actually checked to be honest.
In that case ignore by stupid wittering!
It is a great service, and the fee pays for itself almost immediately. I'm very happy with it anyway.

loyatemu

yosser hughes wrote: »

One thing I noticed with these bikes is that there does not appear to be a facility to indicate a bike is faulty when you return it. In London you could press a button or there is an indicator light to say it is faulty. I can't qute recall now.

Perhaps there is a facility at the monitor/card reader or whatever it's called?I never actually checked to be honest.

I don't think there is, but every bike has an ID number on it, so you could email them - in Paris they turn the saddle around if a bike is faulty, I've seen that here a few times as well.

schemingbohemia

Rashers72 wrote: »

Just thought I would start a thread about any day to day issues, or positive experiences anyone has with Coca Cola Dublin Bikes.
Includes station outages, bike problems, suggestions, redistribution patterns.
I personally think the service is struggling since the expansion was implemented, and I don't think they are good with giving feedback (I emailed them twice before with a problem, and never got any acknowledgement never mind a response),

Rashers72 wrote: »

Agree about the price, although it did double from previous years. Also increasingly I find that I find stands empty when I go to take in the evening or full when I go to return, and now end up paying 1-2 excess time fees a month, because I cannot find a nearby station free. Maybe I am just unlucky, as I often have journeys in the 20-25 min bracket, and am trying to make a train

You've started this thread, then been completely vague about what specific issues you're having, what's the point in that?

Which stations are you finding it difficult to leave your bike at? What time?

If you're going for a train at rush hour the likelihood is that you are occasionally going to find it difficult to leave the bike at the station of your choosing, how do you suggest fixing that?

beauf

Rashers72 wrote: »

...because I cannot find a nearby station free. Maybe I am just unlucky, as I often have journeys in the 20-25 min bracket, and am trying to make a train

The problem is Dublin Bikes are not suited (in my opinion) to the peak commuter. Its that simple. The solution is a folding bike. That what I did and I'm kicking myself I didn't do it before.

I tried to use them for commuting and had the same problem. I mainly use them off peak and not for commuting and find I have no problems. I've been using them for years at this point.

Rashers72

Ok good things...price,
Things I don't like. I fully accept these are small in the overall context...
Sometimes all the stations go off line, and you are left with no where to leave bike. When I rang I was told only option was to wait till they came back on line. When would that be? No idea. Had been reported to vendor, and wait and see. By the way, that person was the only one left in the office? Entire network down, large numbers of bikes waiting to go back....
Sent 2 emails over 2 years with various issues not even got an acknowledgement.
Pearse st bike station off line for 24 hours before notice on website.
I agree about a simple way to let them know about broken bikes, so they can also be taken off line.

Am I happy? yes..based on the price. But started a thread for others to contribute their feedback, as the other thread was about expansion. In my first line I did say for people to post positive experiences also!

loyatemu

Rashers72 wrote: »

Ok good things...price,
Things I don't like. I fully accept these are small in the overall context...
Sometimes all the stations go off line, and you are left with no where to leave bike. When I rang I was told only option was to wait till they came back on line. When would that be? No idea. Had been reported to vendor, and wait and see. By the way, that person was the only one left in the office? Entire network down, large numbers of bikes waiting to go back....
Sent 2 emails over 2 years with various issues not even got an acknowledgement.
Pearse st bike station off line for 24 hours before notice on website.
I agree about a simple way to let them know about broken bikes, so they can also be taken off line.

Am I happy? yes..based on the price. But started a thread for others to contribute their feedback, as the other thread was about expansion. In my first line I did say for people to post positive experiences also!

surely you can still leave a bike back even if the station is offline - it's just a matter of pushing it into a stand?

Rashers72

loyatemu wrote: »

surely you can still leave a bike back even if the station is offline - it's just a matter of pushing it into a stand?

No, but in that case it was full, as no one could release any.

cdebru

What I don't like about them is the 3 big swathes of the city completely ignored but within the north and south circular roads, and closer to the city than other areas with plenty of stations.

If you look at the station map the east wall, north strand area, then the stoney batter towards cabra and then the coombe, cork st, clanbrasil st.

Carawaystick

Are the brakes still sh1te?
Are there still different User interfaces on the terminal machines?
Do they still charge a euro to update credit card info?
Do the clutches still break?
Are the gears still unable to allow a change down under load?
Do the stations still crash and prevent hiring?
Do the corpo shut down stations but not remove them from the terminal maps showing the nearest station with spaces to leave a bike back?
Do the corpo still allow vans stop on clearways to shunt bikes about?

Aard

cdebru wrote: »

What I don't like about them is the 3 big swathes of the city completely ignored but within the north and south circular roads, and closer to the city than other areas with plenty of stations.

If you look at the station map the east wall, north strand area, then the stoney batter towards cabra and then the coombe, cork st, clanbrasil st.

The scheme is being extended gradually across the city.

cdebru

Aard wrote: »

The scheme is being extended gradually across the city.

I don't see any plans anywhere for further expansion beyond the new stations that were opened last year and ignored those parts of the city I listed.

Aard

Google "dublinbikes expansion". Plans to expand as far north as Whitehall.

cdebru

Aard wrote: »

Google "dublinbikes expansion". Plans to expand as far north as Whitehall.

We won't hold our breath apparently there are also plans for a metro out to the airport and another metro heading west and a dart underground as well as a few BRT lines. It is going to be great ;-)

Aard

Dunno why you're being so cynical. Dublin Bikes has just secured massive sponsorship and will be partially funded by the city council -- not national govt. They've also expanded as they said they would so far. Tbh it comes across as though you're just looking for a reason to complain about them.

RainyDay

It's a great service, though would be better with more coverage - Donnybrook or Ballsbridge would be great for me, and would save those walks to Baggot St or Leeson St.

I was a tad irked that they updated the software to 'press Zero to start' though the old terminals have no Zero button - just bad design, and confusing for visitors. The sign up process with pages and pages of terms & conditions is a nonsense too. I wonder if these would stand up in Court. I'd guess a consumer or tourist could make a good case that it was completely unreasonable to expect them to read long T&Cs while standing at a terminal in the rain.

cdebru

Aard wrote: »

Dunno why you're being so cynical. Dublin Bikes has just secured massive sponsorship and will be partially funded by the city council -- not national govt. They've also expanded as they said they would so far. Tbh it comes across as though you're just looking for a reason to complain about them.

No there are no details of expansion on the Dublin bikes website beyond the expansion announced 2 years ago and now completed, there is a general plan to expand but no timetable I can find or no detailed plan as there was in the expansion just completed, so I don't think its unreasonable to presume the further expansion plans are along the lines of metros and dart undergrounds I'll believe them when I see them.

suicide_circus

If you get a faulty DB - when you return it to a station, loosen the seat and turn it 180º so the saddle is facing backwards. This is an indication to other users that the bike is faulty and to be avoided.

I don't know how many people are aware of this system but some clearly are and if we all did it the service would be improved.

Rashers72

suicide_circus wrote: »

If you get a faulty DB - when you return it to a station, loosen the seat and turn it 180º so the saddle is facing backwards. This is an indication to other users that the bike is faulty and to be avoided.

I don't know how many people are aware of this system but some clearly are and if we all did it the service would be improved.

Great example of a simple tip. Should be up on Faq on their website...

suicide_circus

Rashers72 wrote: »

Great example of a simple tip. Should be up on Faq on their website...

I dont know who invented it or how wide spead it is, I only copped it after taking bikes with backwards saddles a few times and them all having some fault, slipping gears, no brakes etc....of course that could all be coincidence and this is not actually a thing and its all in my head!

moc moc a moc

Rashers72 wrote: »

Great example of a simple tip. Should be up on Faq on their website...

They couldn't put that on the site as it would be admitting that they have no official procedure in place to report a faulty bike.

Pinch Flat

Been using it since last July and love the service.

Agree that reporting faults would be handy - I reported a punctured bike a while back, not sure if they can lock that one until its sorted (I rang customer care and gave them the ref number).

Have being noticing a few annoying things like gears not working (stuck in lowest gear was the last one).

cdebru

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Been using it since last July and love the service.

Agree that reporting faults would be handy - I reported a punctured bike a while back, not sure if they can lock that one until its sorted (I rang customer care and gave them the ref number).

Have being noticing a few annoying things like gears not working (stuck in lowest gear was the last one).

You weren't trying to cycle it up the quays one morning last week were you ? Seen some poor guy trying to cycle one last week legs flying but getting nowhere fast.

Pinch Flat

cdebru wrote: »

You weren't trying to cycle it up the quays one morning last week were you ? Seen some poor guy trying to cycle one last week legs flying but getting nowhere fast.

not me that time but I did pick up one from - if I recall correctly - barrow street then try head back to merrion square - I was under pressure timewise for a meeting so yeah it was a bit ridiculous trying to get up speed in the lowest gear, fully kitted out in a suit heavy coat and bag

Muahahaha

how are Dublin Bikes at Hueston during rush hour? I passed by there at about 4pm a few weeks back and there was no bikes at either of the stations on Parkgate Street, didn't look great as there must be about 40 slots there and its on the edge of their network.

cdebru

Muahahaha wrote: »

how are Dublin Bikes at Hueston during rush hour? I passed by there at about 4pm a few weeks back and there was no bikes at either of the stations on Parkgate Street, didn't look great as there must be about 40 slots there and its on the edge of their network.

They might have cleared the spaces there purposely to allow for the rush from the city out to Hueston in the evening. Wouldn't make much sense to have lots of bikes sitting at Hueston and people not being able to park their bike and get the train home.

Aard

Muahahaha wrote: »

how are Dublin Bikes at Hueston during rush hour? I passed by there at about 4pm a few weeks back and there was no bikes at either of the stations on Parkgate Street, didn't look great as there must be about 40 slots there and its on the edge of their network.

Don't forget there are two more bike docks inside Heuston station.

Pauline13

Hi everyone!
I have an issue; today I called the call centre because this morning the station told me that I already have a rental when I tried to take a bike.
However, the last time I used one was three days ago, on Friday afternoon.
The lady from Dublinbikes who I got on the phone this morning told me that they will investigate but that someone probably has my bike and that I'm entitled to the maximum charges of 150 euros...
Really bad news on a Monday morning, even more as I'm using bikes because I can't afford the bus to go to work !!
When I let my bike at the Custom House station on Friday, I perfectly remember waiting for the green light, as I always do. Even more because I know that this station is probably deficient. Indeed, once I was just about to leave after earing the bip and seeing the green light, and then I noticed that the light was in fact flashing, and the bike wasn't lock at all. It was about two weeks ago, I had to re-lock it 3 times til it actually worked!
Does anyone experienced a similar situation? I'm sure they won't find the bike, not after three days, and I don't know how to help my case, as the station doesn't provide a ticket or some proof that I did return the bike to the station.
Thank you for your help! (I'm a bit desperate ........)
Pauline

expectationlost

Pauline13 wrote: »

Hi everyone!
I have an issue; today I called the call centre because this morning the station told me that I already have a rental when I tried to take a bike.
However, the last time I used one was three days ago, on Friday afternoon.
The lady from Dublinbikes who I got on the phone this morning told me that they will investigate but that someone probably has my bike and that I'm entitled to the maximum charges of 150 euros...
Really bad news on a Monday morning, even more as I'm using bikes because I can't afford the bus to go to work !!
When I let my bike at the Custom House station on Friday, I perfectly remember waiting for the green light, as I always do. Even more because I know that this station is probably deficient. Indeed, once I was just about to leave after earing the bip and seeing the green light, and then I noticed that the light was in fact flashing, and the bike wasn't lock at all. It was about two weeks ago, I had to re-lock it 3 times til it actually worked!
Does anyone experienced a similar situation? I'm sure they won't find the bike, not after three days, and I don't know how to help my case, as the station doesn't provide a ticket or some proof that I did return the bike to the station.
Thank you for your help! (I'm a bit desperate ........)
Pauline

how long are you allowed to take a bike for?

Pauline13

24 hours, but I never used it more than 20 minutes I think!

MrMorooka

May as well ask here.. it is possible to sign up without a bona fide credit card? I have a Visa Debit card from my bank and don't want a credit card.

loyatemu

Pauline13 wrote: »

24 hours, but I never used it more than 20 minutes I think!

dispute it - if you did put it back in the stand its unlikely someone would have taken it even if if it wasn't properly clicked in - after how would a prospective thief know it wasn't clicked?

Is it possibly it's still there? If it wasn't clicked it wouldn't show as available for subsequent users...

Pauline13

loyatemu wrote: »

dispute it - if you did put it back in the stand its unlikely someone would have taken it even if if it wasn't properly clicked in - after how would a prospective thief know it wasn't clicked?

Is it possibly it's still there? If it wasn't clicked it wouldn't show as available for subsequent users...

It's what I thought, but this morning I looked quickly at the station, because I remember more or less what was the stand number, and no bike... I'm gonna check again, but the Station is Custom House, so always really busy.

loyatemu

I'd be very surprised if it isn't at a station somewhere, not much reason for someone to steal a DB - you can't sell it and they're not particularly great bikes. How does a station know when a bike is returned - is there an RFID chip in the bike? It's probably clicked in somewhere but not registered on the system due to some kind of fault...

cython

MrMorooka wrote: »

May as well ask here.. it is possible to sign up without a bona fide credit card? I have a Visa Debit card from my bank and don't want a credit card.

You can get an annual sub without a credit card, and via direct debit with the correct paperwork, per their page on the subject: http://www.dublinbikes.ie/Subscription/Annual-Card2/Annual-Card-Holder

Annual Card registration Click here.

If you choose to subscribe by direct debit you will need to:



Send proof of address (original utility bill within the last 3 months)
Provide a parental authorisation for users under 18 years of age (the service is available to anyone over 14 years of age), (assuming you are over 18 )
Include a debit authority which will be used for the subscription (€20), monthly service charges, and a €150 guarantee* if the bike is not returned within any 24 hour period

MJohnston

Coupla annoyances from me:

1. Their API doesn't appear to differentiate between open spaces at stations, and out-of-action spaces at stations. So I'll check an app to see where there's a free spot, arrive at the station, and it has one of those wee red plastic things blocking you from returning the bike.
2. There's no real way for you to indicate that you wanted to pick up/return to a station but it was empty/full. I suspect being able to report this via apps would help DB with their redistribution systems.
3. As already mentioned, the stations should let you report a bike as faulty.

Other than those problems, I love this service, it's really handy for me (unless of course it's a windy day like yesterday where you cycle like hell, but go nowhere fast)

Aard

I too have noticed that those red plugs in the stands are a far more common occurrence. Maybe it's a way of dealing with demand.

Rashers72

One thing I noticed today is that the station at Earslfort Terrace does not show the nearest one on Hatch St, as a nearby station. Hatch St is relatively new, maybe 6 months old. Only noticed that when it listed all the nearest 3 stations as empty.