New stationless bike rental scheme in Dublin - BleeperBike

AndrewJRenko · 14-06-2017 11:03pm #1

Anyone tried it yet?

http://www.bleeperbike.com/

CramCycle · 14-06-2017 11:17pm

Have to laugh at the parking rules picture, do not leave your bike sitting on the LUAS line!

robyntmorton · 14-06-2017 11:29pm

It looks a lot like a project website at the moment. I struggled to figure out exactly what the parking rules are (it's a public bike parking stand that is marked on the map only), the "bleeperpoints" concept, including suspending membership if you drop below 100 points, and the fact that all the prices in the terms and conditions are listed as €xx.

Like the idea, but make it as easy to understand as possible, and make sure EVERYTHING is in place before you go live.

ED E · 15-06-2017 12:39am

It'll have all the problems mobike does in china, the current system has its caveats but is far superior.

loyatemu · 15-06-2017 1:20pm

the main problem I foresee is lack of proper bike parking around Dublin - if they and the council can improve that (and provide a map within the app) then I can see this working reasonably well. I love the Dublin Bikes but the whole hi-tech station concept is no longer necessary and is hampering further expansion of the scheme - I wonder what the relative cost of a Sheffield stand is versus the cost of one DB dock.

Mobike and others are planning agressive rollout in the UK so this looks like the way things are going generally:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jun/12/uber-bikes-manchester-mobike-china-global-ofo

iwillhtfu · 15-06-2017 2:26pm

robyntmorton wrote: »

It looks a lot like a project website at the moment. I struggled to figure out exactly what the parking rules are (it's a public bike parking stand that is marked on the map only), the "bleeperpoints" concept, including suspending membership if you drop below 100 points, and the fact that all the prices in the terms and conditions are listed as €xx.

Like the idea, but make it as easy to understand as possible, and make sure EVERYTHING is in place before you go live.

Are you looking at a mobile website or something as all the detail is clearly marked on full website.

€5 - 5 rides (1 ride = 1 hour)
€25 - 27 rides

Thud · 15-06-2017 2:31pm

installed the app, all the bikes seem to be in Portobello today, presume they are launching there?
it's success will depend on the number of bikes they put out looks like there are 40-50 of them on the app to start with

edit...based in Portobello, launching July, 1000 bikes:

http://irishcycle.com/2017/06/15/e1-per-ride-stationless-bicycle-share-near-to-launch-in-dublin/

loyatemu · 15-06-2017 3:02pm

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Are you looking at a mobile website or something as all the detail is clearly marked on full website.

€5 - 5 rides (1 ride = 1 hour)
€25 - 27 rides

pricing is not bad for an occasional DB user - I'm paying the €25 annual fee, I'm not sure I use it much more than 25 times a year (and some of those I would have gone over the 30 mins).

If you were using DB every day then obviously that's better value, but you could still use Bleeper on the occasions when DBs were unavailable or you were outside of the DB zone.

I wonder will they have the same credit-card guarantee requirement?

buffalo · 15-06-2017 3:05pm

ED E wrote: »

It'll have all the problems mobike does in china, the current system has its caveats but is far superior.

Will we see these scenes over the next few months in Dublin?

https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F351505%2F1891f0b3-eb7c-46ca-b35d-6d5290ebc77f.jpg

http://mashable.com/2017/01/18/bike-sharing-pile-up-china/

AndrewJRenko · 15-06-2017 3:19pm

I don't see anything about 'zone' limits on the website. The canals is certainly a limitation for me, so it would be great to be able to pick up or even just drop off the bike beyond the canals. Did anyone see anything about any distance limit for locking up?

robyntmorton · 15-06-2017 3:25pm

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Are you looking at a mobile website or something as all the detail is clearly marked on full website.

€5 - 5 rides (1 ride = 1 hour)
€25 - 27 rides

Terms and conditions link at bottom of page - desktop.

tomasrojo · 15-06-2017 4:07pm

Edel Kelly, a senior planner at the environment and transport section of Dublin City Council:

This type of scheme should be considered as an alternative to the expansion of the Dublinbikes scheme which would require considerable public capital expenditure

http://irishcycle.com/2017/06/15/e1-per-ride-stationless-bicycle-share-near-to-launch-in-dublin/

I'm getting the same bad feeling I get when people argue against improving public transport because of the imminent driverless-car utopia.

loyatemu · 15-06-2017 4:12pm

tomasrojo wrote: »

Edel Kelly, a senior planner at the environment and transport section of Dublin City Council:

http://irishcycle.com/2017/06/15/e1-per-ride-stationless-bicycle-share-near-to-launch-in-dublin/

I'm getting the same bad feeling I get when people argue against improving public transport because of the imminent driverless-car utopia.

I haven't heard anyone arguing that, if anything driverless vehicles should mean less road-infrastructure and parking spaces.

WRT to bike sharing I think if you were launching DBs now, you would go with something closer to Bleeper than the infrastructure heavy and expensive DB design.

tomasrojo · 15-06-2017 4:28pm

loyatemu wrote: »

I haven't heard anyone arguing that, if anything driverless vehicles should mean less road-infrastructure and parking spaces.

I've seen it primarily in the American media. Mostly to shoot down light-rail projects, I think.

Type 17 · 15-06-2017 9:13pm

It's hard enough getting a park for one's own private bike in many parts of the city. It will be chaos with an extra 1,000 bikes added to the mix.

I can't see the City Council being able to add more stands in the time required, nor allowing bleeperbike to add ones of their own.

Chuchote · 16-06-2017 9:26am

Type 17 wrote: »

It's hard enough getting a park for one's own private bike in many parts of the city. It will be chaos with an extra 1,000 bikes added to the mix.

I can't see the City Council being able to add more stands in the time required, nor allowing bleeperbike to add ones of their own.

The City Council (the civil servants rather than the basically decorative councillors, to whom the civil servants seem not to pay a blind bit of notice) seem generally anti-cycling, though I'm open to correction.

Look at Rathmines, all of the few bike stands bristling with bicycles (and increasingly with motorbikes locked to them - what's that about?), and no sign of any more being provided. Surprising that the Swan Centre isn't active in looking for more, since it must be losing custom when people shrug and ride on to town.

Just downloaded the app and signed up. Hope it's not some clever scammer who now has my credit card to play with as he wilt.

loyatemu · 16-06-2017 10:12am

there are loads of places around the city where extra racks could be added, there should be racks on practically every street - you'd fit 10 bikes in one car parking space.

AndrewJRenko · 16-06-2017 10:42am

Chuchote wrote: »

The City Council (the civil servants rather than the basically decorative councillors, to whom the civil servants seem not to pay a blind bit of notice) seem generally anti-cycling, though I'm open to correction.

At risk of slight pedantry, local authority staff are public servants, not civil servants.

dub_skav · 16-06-2017 11:17am

I'll keep an eye on this. If it's any use it will certainly replace my Dublin Bikes sub as I am a very rare user

buffalo · 16-06-2017 7:25pm

DCC not so happy: http://www.dublincity.ie/bleeperbike-scheme-launches-without-dublin-city-council%E2%80%99s-consent

The main issues to be addressed include managing the potential impacts of the scheme on the public realm, ensuring the bikes are fit for purpose and properly maintained, insurance, ensuring there is adequate cycle parking capacity in city centre locations and ensuring bikes are not abandoned at unsuitable locations. The Bye-Laws will likely require operators to apply for a licence to operate within the city.

The launch of this scheme is therefore premature pending the preparation of Bye-Laws.

...The Bleeperbike bicycles are unlicensed and will advertise the service which they provide. As such Dublin City Council is empowered to remove them from the public domain.

Sounds like the scheme might not make it very far in the near future.

Type 17 · 16-06-2017 7:36pm

buffalo wrote: »

DCC not so happy: http://www.dublincity.ie/bleeperbike-scheme-launches-without-dublin-city-council%E2%80%99s-consent

Sounds like the scheme might not make it very far in the near future.

Internet-reliant sectors such as AirBnB, Uber, etc are taking traditional industries by surprise all over the world, and seeing as DCC are particularly "traditional", it will be very entertaining to see them attempting to react to this - remember The Record Industry's reaction when faced by file-sharing?

ThisRegard · 16-06-2017 8:44pm

There's no comparison I think with Air BnB and the likes, the company is relying on county council property to run their business and they have the power to easily put a stop to it.

ED E · 16-06-2017 10:07pm

Glad to see DCC being proactive.

http://irishcycle.com/2017/06/16/breaking-news-dublin-council-threatens-to-remove-stationless-bicycle-share/

magicbastarder · 16-06-2017 10:30pm

i'd suspect there are two sides to this story.

Chuchote · 17-06-2017 6:56am

The council is against a scheme that would make transport in the city more efficient?

By the way, is there any way to request bike racks where they're needed in Dublin as you can in New York http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/cityrack-suggest.shtml

Baron Kurtz · 17-06-2017 7:06am

Far from polished, that website. Mis-spelt words and poor punctuation. Just makes it feel a bit amateurish.

buffalo · 17-06-2017 7:58am

Chuchote wrote: »

The council is against a scheme that would make transport in the city more efficient?

Cycle transport becomes a lot less efficient if you reach your destination and spend the next 20mins looking for somewhere to lock your steed because all the stands are full of commercial bikes.

It sounds like DCC wanted some time to assess the number/location/cost of new stands, and perhaps how much of this cost should be passed on to the private companies who would be benefiting. That's how it reads, though there may also by cynical power ploy in the background, trying to protect the DB scheme's revenues.

ED E · 17-06-2017 12:35pm

Chuchote wrote: »

The council is against a scheme that would make transport in the city more efficient?

Its not that, they would totally clog the city. We cant get cars (which can be fined) to park properly, no way ownerless bikes are going to be anything other than dumped. Imagine Grafton outside McDs at 2AM on a Saturday morning.

main-qimg-32c44052569c57c56a93005cb1713adb-c

AndrewJRenko · 17-06-2017 12:49pm

ED E wrote: »

Its not that, they would totally clog the city. We cant get cars (which can be fined) to park properly, no way ownerless bikes are going to be anything other than dumped. Imagine Grafton outside McDs at 2AM on a Saturday morning.

I'm reminded of all the naysayer warnings of how the Dublin Bikes would NEVER work in Dublin and would all end up in the Liffey in the first week.

ED E · 17-06-2017 12:54pm

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I'm reminded of all the naysayer warnings of how the Dublin Bikes would NEVER work in Dublin and would all end up in the Liffey in the first week.

DBs worked elsewhere first. Mobike is a scourge elsewhere.

monument · 17-06-2017 1:50pm

ED E wrote: »

Glad to see DCC being proactive.

http://irishcycle.com/2017/06/16/breaking-news-dublin-council-threatens-to-remove-stationless-bicycle-share/

magicbastarder wrote: »

i'd suspect there are two sides to this story.

Bleeperbike's side is also included in my articles.

ED E wrote: »

DBs worked elsewhere first. Mobike is a scourge elsewhere.

Mobike has not yet announce that they will launch here, Bleeperbike at least are trying with a plan for stricter and clearer parking rules and staff patrolling the city.

New stationless bike rental scheme in Dublin - BleeperBike

Comments