Dublin Bikes _ new app & subscription

Bluefoam

They have a new sponsor 'now tv' and a new app... Which apparently lets you release a bike through your phone, not sure if it's an awkward interface type thing or a simple NFC function...

Plus they've increased the fee, from €10 to €35 annually.

That's just too rich for me. I've used the bikes a few times for convenience over the past few years, but that convenience is fine for €10... At €35, I'm out. I'm sure allot of other people will be too.

L1011

The fee hasn't been a tenner for 8 years.

ED E

^ This.

But personally I use a bike share maybe 10x a year. Probably less in 'rona times. Payg with Bleeper (inferior bikes) makes more sense.

Amirani

Used to use them quite a bit, but less so these days. I've let my subscription lapse, partly because of the continued price increases, but more so because of the lack of any expansion or development (particularly on the Northside).

loyatemu

My sub lapsed in September. I'm unlikely to be back in the office full time... well, ever, so Bleeper will do for the times I am in town.

timeToLive

Amirani wrote: »

Used to use them quite a bit, but less so these days. I've let my subscription lapse, partly because of the continued price increases, but more so because of the lack of any expansion or development (particularly on the Northside).

Same on the south side. Always thought it would make sense for some to be around UCD and places like Rathmines.

Quackster

ED E wrote: »

^ This.

But personally I use a bike share maybe 10x a year. Probably less in 'rona times. Payg with Bleeper (inferior bikes) makes more sense.

Exactly. I cancelled my DB subscription at renewal time last September as I knew I'd be using it very little until the end of the pandemic. Have used Bleeper a few times since.

Quackster

Amirani wrote: »

Used to use them quite a bit, but less so these days. I've let my subscription lapse, partly because of the continued price increases, but more so because of the lack of any expansion or development (particularly on the Northside).

There are some bizarre gaps in the coverage, like the Cork St / Newmarket Square area which is surrounded by stations on three sides. With the recent proliferation of student accommodation there (as well as Teeling & Liberties distilleries), it's quite mind-boggling.

SeeMoreBut

Mine lapsed in Jan as no need to use them but the expansion of lack of expansion is crazy.

I was more a southside user but stopping at the canal was strange. If they went from Sandymount to Rathmines area I would have thought would have added a lot more users

Zaney

Another lapsed user here. Mine was up for renewal in December and I cancelled. Won’t be back in the office anytime soon. I rarely used it but the convenience of having access when I needed for €20 made sense. Too much of a price hike. Told them as much.

Maybe they should introduce a lower fee for irregular users and cap the number of times you can access bikes. Probably too difficult to manage and might be too attractive for those who will pay the fee regardless.

ED E

Honestly I wouldnt be surprised if DB ends up closing. Way reduced customer base + competition from Bleeper and soon eScooters coming on the scene. Won't be enough to bother.

HeidiHeidi

I'm tempted to cancel my subscription - I only use them a few times a year, would use a lot more if the stations nearest my house weren't cleared out by 9 or 10am, and never restocked until evening time :mad:

alentejo

I really wish they would lower the subscription cost. Along with lock down, its really cutting the numbers using the service.

Tzardine

I don't get the complaints about the price.

€35 for a year is still peanuts.

I still use it regularly. Find the new app to be great.

Bluefoam

Tzardine wrote: »

I don't get the complaints about the price.

€35 for a year is still peanuts.

I still use it regularly. Find the new app to be great.

I don't use it regulary... possibly once a year. I don't work in town. I want to support it, I want access, but €35 is a good bit of money for someone like me to commit to... & theres many like me.

I will not get €105 value over three years. Therefore, I'm probably going to cancel my subscription... I'd be happy to lose €30 over that time just to support the system and make sure its there when I need it.

markpb

ED E wrote: »

Honestly I wouldnt be surprised if DB ends up closing. Way reduced customer base + competition from Bleeper and soon eScooters coming on the scene. Won't be enough to bother.

Dublin Bikes is not a commercial operation. JCD operate it for DCC in return for getting advertising around the city. JCD also paid for all the new pedestrian/tourist signs that were fitted a few years ago.

Amirani

Bluefoam wrote: »

I don't use it regulary... possibly once a year. I don't work in town. I want to support it, I want access, but €35 is a good bit of money for someone like me to commit to... & theres many like me.

I will not get €105 value over three years. Therefore, I'm probably going to cancel my subscription... I'd be happy to lose €30 over that time just to support the system and make sure its there when I need it.

Some sort of hybrid charging model would be useful for users like yourself. Even something like €10 per year, and 50 cent each time you use a bike (in addition for the normal >30min costs).

As a public facility, it should be aimed at more than just regular users.

Quackster

Bluefoam wrote: »

I don't use it regulary... possibly once a year. I don't work in town. I want to support it, I want access, but €35 is a good bit of money for someone like me to commit to... & theres many like me.

I will not get €105 value over three years. Therefore, I'm probably going to cancel my subscription... I'd be happy to lose €30 over that time just to support the system and make sure its there when I need it.

Bleeper PAYG model would be perfect for you then.

Thelonious Monk

It's pretty cheap compared to other places, I know in London it's way dearer.
Has anyone used the Moby electric bikes? I'd like to try one.

1huge1

Recently paid the €35 through gritted teeth considering I haven't used the bikes once in the past 12 months but was a regular user up until that. My hope being that from the summer onwards (where some normality wil hopefully return) I'll be back uning it.

Dick Turnip

Used Bleeper a bit when they were introduced at the start. Handy, but my god the bikes are crap, way worse than DB.

Have been signed up to DB since the start. Although have rarely used the last year.

The lack of expansion is very frustrating. You would think that putting stations across Harold's X, Rathmines, Ranelagh, Donnybrook, Ballsbridge, Ringsend would bring in another cohort of users. Plus expanding the network just makes it more useable in general.

Also, Rialto/Cork St/Clanbrassil St area is an odd blackspot on the map. There's a huge amount of housing here, very close to town. A lot of potential customers. Stoneybatter too.

beauf

I cancelled them all back last year. I knew I won't be using them for ages. WFH etc.

Effects

1huge1 wrote: »

Recently paid the €35 through gritted teeth considering I haven't used the bikes once in the past 12 months but was a regular user up until that. My hope being that from the summer onwards (where some normality wil hopefully return) I'll be back uning it.

Why not just wait until the summer to renew in that case? No point paying for it now when you don't need it.

thenightman

Half of Dublin Bikes to become hybrid bikes by March 30th. Each subscriber to the hybrid bikes (at a cost of an extra €60 per annum) will receive their own portable rechargeable battery that can be slotted into the hybrid bikes. Range of up to 8km on the battery per charge.

https://www.thejournal.ie/half-of-dublin-hybrid-e-bikes-5365776-Feb2021/

Tzardine

It's a stupid idea.

Having to carry your own battery is a big failure. And not preventing regular users for taking an electric bike is thick. People will take the electric bikes because they are newer, leaving somebody that carried their battery around probably having to take a regular bike.

The introduction of electric scooter rental is going to make thr bikes redundant. I used it in Sweden about 2 years ago and it is a great system. You find a scooter on the app, ride it to the door of where you are going and leave it there.

L1011

Plenty of people won't use scooters, also the lack of a basket reduces their practicality

Also, where dump at door systems are heavily used you basically just create mobility hazards for others in the process. Hence why specific parking areas are required in stationless bike systems usually

Diairist

Do Bleeper answer the phone? Ringing them since 9.30 a.m.