Toronto Bike Share

[Napoleon]

Wow, I'm a convert to SoBi after these posts. I think it would much more rapidly promote bikeshare adoption here in Toronto. Probably far easier to implement as well.

 

[Tuscani01]

Question... Why not have both? It would be great to see the private sector operate a Sobi like system, to compete with Bike Share and provide way more options for cyclists. Kind of like the Zip Car/AutoShare rivalry.

 

[mdrejhon]

There is a negative article about bike share in Toronto in today's Globe & Mail. Ugh!
www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/where-are-all-the-women-cyclists/article25369940/

I posted in the comments:

Wente,

Please explain why Hamilton's bikeshare system has a nearly 50-50 gender equality.

Please explain why Hamilton's system has become more popular in 6 months than Toronto in 5 years.

Please explain why cities that adopt the newer SoBi bikeshare technology has less than half the operating cost of older BIXI technology. Please explain why cities using SoBi aren't having as much financial problems with these SoBi-type systems.

SoBi technology uses GPS-tracked bikes with electronic U-bars. You can park these bikes anywhere at a standard bike rack. Next user sees them in map app. No hunting for racks. Just park-and-forget.

I witnessed people parking SoBi bikes in front of my owned house (mortgage) in Hamilton and I have an owned car in my driveway. As a result, I signed up for a SoBi membership. I now sometimes commute by SoBi to the GO station. It is only a 15 minute ride and allows my spouse to use car. I own a bike, but I don't want my bike stolen. I don't worry about bike theft or weather. Just park-and-forget convenience, can take bus or taxi on return trip.

Sincerely,
Mark Rejhon
Hamilton, Ontario
Homeowner, carowner, bikeowner & member of Bike Share Toronto and SoBi Hamilton
​

Currently, it's apparently being upvoted by others, but it's still on Page 2 of Comments (three or four more upvotes, and I show up on the first page!)

 

[mdrejhon]

To be honest you seem a little too worked up about this SoBi thing. Do you always write like this?

Well...

I am a member of both Bike Share Toronto and SoBi Hamilton.

I have also used Paris Velib and Montreal's BIXI too.

I signed up for a BIXI Toronto membership before it launched.

SoBi type technology was not invented yet when BIXI launched.
We didn't know the SoBi method would cut costs so dramatically.

Here's my answer: Ask anybody who's a member of both a BIXI system and SoBi system. See the pattern?

All of them are raving equally. Every single one of those talk as if they finally have a new subway in front of their house! That's how much more convenient SoBi is, than BIXI -- since you don't have to worry about full bike racks anymore, ever again. There is never a full bike rack for SoBi. Park-and-forget anywhere.

Ottawa already switched from BIXI to SoBi to save money. www.velogo.ca
My Hamilton membership automatically works there too, the same day it launched!
Toronto can do the same.

I like BIXI and I am glad BIXI did not get scrapped from Toronto.

but now with $4.9 million offered, I now think Toronto is a making a financial mistake staying with BIXI. Why not sell BIXI, and get a 3000-bike SoBi fleet (and 6-9x racks over 6-9x area) instead of 2000 bikes (and 2x racks), covering a much bigger area with the SAME TAX MONEY? Hamiltons has more SoBi racks (~115) for less money than Toronto has BIXI racks (~80), and on top of that, you can park-and-forget a SoBi anywhere. You also get credits for doing actions that behave like bike rebalancing. Bikes self-rebalance faster. No bike dock overprovisioning required for surges. Less bike rebalancing costs. Bikes equally easy to find for users despite 3x bigger area, as a result! Bigger area = bigger market. Consequently, this is an area-size multiplier while having the same number of bikes.

P23 honestly -- really, honestly -- I was skeptical and was a big BIXI booster but I am sad BIXI screwed up finances (their Montreal bankruptcy), and put a bad reputation to Canada's bike sharing industry, so I've given up rooting for BIXI. I don't own anything in SoBi or BIXI. Just damn impressed at the next generation bikeshare technology.

Look at how the cities using SoBi aren't having financial issues with the SoBi systems. See the pattern? Time to press the Reset button.

I am a homeowner and carowner that pays all sorts of taxes, totalling the typical five digits of taxes of a middle class Canadian. This is my Ontario taxpayer money too, and I'd rather see Toronto cover up to almost 10x the area, instead of only 2x area, with the same $4.9 million offered. It's a great bang for the buck, I feel. That's why I am being LOUD here. But I am pro-bike-sharing, possibly partially subsidized as public transit (in well-implemented use cases).

Half price infrastructure. Three times area. Bigger coverage area = bigger market = more member signups faster = this is why Hamilton membership grew faster than Toronto = faster financial sustainability.

Let's look at it this way:
$4.9M = Add 1000 BIXI bikes, increase service area by 2x
$4.9M = Start over with 2500 SoBi bike fleet.
$4.9M plus BIXI sale proceeds = start over with 3000 SoBi bike fleet, increase service area almost 10x

10x bigger area, 10x stations, yet can park anywhere = members signs up much faster = less taxpayer waste

Wouldn't we like to get a Scarborough subway for closer to $500 million? That's how dramatic the SoBi cost savings is. No, I don't own SoBi. No, I have never volunteered for them. No, I don't know anyone there. No, I have no stake. But I am a TAXPAYER! Part of that 4.9 million Toronto is getting, is also my Ontario taxpayer money.

SoBi even confirms --

@SoBiHamilton tweeted to GlobeAndMail (cuz of their stupidly negative bikeshare article) that they are able to cover its own operations with just 1 bike rebalancing vehicle (and a Community CarShare vehicle at that! No owned vehicle for bike rebalancing and SoBi functions successfully with a bigger active membership than Toronto! Operating the whole 750 bike fleet for less cost than operating 1 HSR municipal bus, some lesser bus routes used by fewer users in a day than SoBi daily. See? A good last-mile transit bang for taxpayer buck. So good that there is no government subsidy for operating costs even for a sub-1000-bike fleet!

 

[P23]

Jesus dude, I know you're not a shill but you sure sound like one. Just chill out a bit.

 

[PinkLucy]

There is a negative article about bike share in Toronto in today's Globe & Mail

Margaret Wente. Enough said.

 

[AndreaPalladio]

I wonder who she plagiarized the column from?

 

[mdrejhon]

Jesus dude, I know you're not a shill but you sure sound like one. Just chill out a bit.

Fair enough. My point has been made.

Note -- I'm against removing the BIXI infrastructure to result in zero bikeshare system for Toronto. I don't want to upset pro-BIXI users, but many think nothing even better exists, and I have to _really_ point it out.

 

[LNahid2000]

We get it, you like SoBi more than Bixi. No need to write an essay to make your point.

 

[mdrejhon]

We get it, people who have both SoBi and BIXI experience, like SoBi more than Bixi. No need to write an essay to make your point.

Fixed it for ya.

 

[wopchop]

and on top of that, you can park-and-forget a SoBi anywhere.

Nice job presenting only the facts that you like. According to the SoBi website, locking a SoBi bike to a regular bike rack costs $3 or $1 with a membership (see link)

When you arrive at your destination, return and lock the bike at a SoBi station. The bike is now available for others to use. (Bikes may also be locked to any regular bike rack for a $3 fee).

Lock to any regular bike rack within the service area for $1 convenience fee.

That being said, it sounds like a good system and a success.

 

[LNahid2000]

We get it, people who have both SoBi and BIXI experience like SoBi more than Bixi. No need to write an essay to make your point.

Fixed it for ya.

I bet we could count those people on one hand. I doubt most people have both a SoBi and a BIXI membership.

 

[mdrejhon]

I bet we could count those people on one hand. I doubt most people have both a SoBi and a BIXI membership.

Maybe you're right.

There's up to a couple dozen bikes accumulate at the Hamilton downtown GO station - depending on day. Four accumulated at West Harbor today (including mine), surprisingly good percentage of today's West Harbor commuters (5%? 10%?). Presumably, several of those go to Toronto and enjoy the concept of bike sharing systems.

There are other people claiming the same, already on twitter.

My ward's elected city councillor @MatthewGreen (young 3os blood in an Old Boys Club) who has bikeshare membership, does community volunteer work too, did retweet me in agreement that Toronto should go SoBi.

RaiseTheHammer also retweeted me twice, and @SoBiHamilton retweeted me too.

Maybe Metrolinx can hold for a few months for the $4.9M to watch what happens to the Ottawa SoBi fleet (VeloGo). If greatly accelerated membership occurs in Ottawa too, and operating costs stay far lower, compared to when Ottawa had BIXI, then we see consistency. A good case study. If not, then I'll eat my words. OK?

Nice job presenting only the facts that you like. According to the SoBi website, locking a SoBi bike to a regular bike rack costs $3 or $1 with a membership (see link)

Hey. It works both ways.

You get a partial credit when you return an off-rack bike back to a rack (66 cents as a member).

If you dock it overnight in front of your house, and then return it to the dock the next morning, effective cost is only 34 cents. They don't come out to move the bikes back to the docks. A neighbour even sometimes beat me to taking the parked SoBi bike -- but the next nearest bike was only 2 blocks away. So far, I returned more bikes to docks than taken bikes away from docks.

I signed up only because of off-dock bikes showing up in front of my house (good self-advertising of SoBi! It baited me into finally getting a membership).

If you're a member and you decide to "create" a SoBi dock in front of your house because a dock is too far away, it is effectively only $1.36 a week excluding weekends. Once other neighbors begin taking the bike away from your parked location, the area is usually already popular enough to be peppered with other people's off-dock SoBi bikes that you earn credit off returning to locations.

And my neighborhood is lower density than Cabbagetown, Riverdale or Rosedale. And I am 30 minute walk away from downtown Hamilton, much like Riverdale area from Toronto downtown. The eastmost SoBi bike and westmost SoBi bike is half the distance apart as the distance between Toronto-to-Mississauga downtown centers! Yet SoBis are as easily accessible nearby as BIXI was when I lived in a downtown condo (before Riverdale).

I've almost broken even with off-dock cost + dock return credit!

 

[mdrejhon]

Some rare Hamilton envy in the paper today...

Apparently nails every single thing I've been saying -- switch to SoBi.

According to the article, Bike Share Toronto said they are considering possibly switching to SoBi in 2016. There is apparently going to be call out for tenders and price quotes from all vendors (including BIXI and SoBi) -- they have called out SoBi specifically.

Saw more BIXI/SoBi users commenting, too. One here and two others on twitter (before this article). Consistently users who have both BIXI/SoBi always saying SoBi is better.

 

[nfitz]

Some rare Hamilton envy in the paper today...

Given how much you get your back up when people make negative comments about Hamilton (whose main claim to fame these days seems to be that house prices are much cheaper ... presumably because demand is much lower). Is it necessary to troll the Toronto forums in this manner?