Toronto Bike Share

[WillTo]

We know Bikeshare has struggled to meet demand in Midtown in recent years, presumably a combination of insufficient stations/bikes but also the need to reposition more frequently.

***

So I thought I'd take a look at south--west Scarborough to see how things are going:




Of the 17 stations pictured above, that are within Scarborough:

7 have zero bikes available at 1:15pm today

4 have 2 or fewer bikes available.

6 have 3 or more bikes available.

That would seem to suggest there is some demand there and it could be served a bit better.

Looks to me like there's a need for an infill dock on VP between St. Clair and Parma Court, another on St. Clair east of Pharmacy, one more on Birchmount south of St. Clair, plus one on Warden somewhere near Taylor Creek Elementary.

They seem so far from each other too. If your closest station is out you are SOL.

 

[WillTo]

I have been noticing an improvement in midtown the past week or so.
They seem to flood the neighbourhood with bikes. Then over the course of the week they will trickle back down to zero. Then flood again.
But there is this new phenomenon where there are only ebikes left. If you are frugal member like me and are going downhill, you can bike to a mechanical bike and continue your journey for free.

 

[slicecom]

But there is this new phenomenon where there are only ebikes left. If you are frugal member like me and are going downhill, you can bike to a mechanical bike and continue your journey for free.

Makes sense. People are more willing to pay for an e-bike to go uphill than downhill.

 

[turbanplanner]

Decided to bike around humber bay. Saw "1 dock left" which means 0 on 2 of the stations. It was so bad there were multiple bikes left on the street. Wonder how much those users will end up being charged. There were additional bikes out of frame but didn't want to take flash photos of strangers at night

 

[allengeorge]

If you are frugal member like me and are going downhill, you can bike to a mechanical bike and continue your journey for free.

I suspect people like you and me will soon be left in the lurch - and maybe that’s fine.

I suspect from a financial point of view it makes more sense to transition the BikeShare fleet over time into a fully electric fleet, and move pricing to a membership + fee (lower for members) for usage.

 

[elcorrerador]

Decided to bike around humber bay. Saw "1 dock left" which means 0 on 2 of the stations. It was so bad there were multiple bikes left on the street. Wonder how much those users will end up being charged. There were additional bikes out of frame but didn't want to take flash photos of strangers at night

View attachment 575673

Similar story from me yesterday, app indicated 1 free dock. When I was there in person there were 2 free docks, but none of them were functional. I tried to lift the bike in the locking mechanism and that didn't work either.

This is where the story gets interesting. I noticed someone trying to take out a bike. So I offered them mine to use. (I was running late to my meeting and didn't want to ride another 5mins to dock the bike). Specifying that you have 30mins to dock it back. He said yeah sure. I was gonna pay for a pass. The person ended up docking that bike after 2hrs!

 

[Northern Light]

Similar story from me yesterday, app indicated 1 free dock. When I was there in person there were 2 free docks, but none of them were functional. I tried to lift the bike in the locking mechanism and that didn't work either.

This is where the story gets interesting. I noticed someone trying to take out a bike. So I offered them mine to use. (I was running late to my meeting and didn't want to ride another 5mins to dock the bike). Specifying that you have 30mins to dock it back. He said yeah sure. I was gonna pay for a pass. The person ended up docking that bike after 2hrs!

You were more trusting than I would have been. Unfortunate that in this case that cost you some $$ The fault here is obviously w/the person you trusted, a shame he abused that.

 

[TRONto]

I have been noticing an improvement in midtown the past week or so.
They seem to flood the neighbourhood with bikes. Then over the course of the week they will trickle back down to zero. Then flood again.
But there is this new phenomenon where there are only ebikes left. If you are frugal member like me and are going downhill, you can bike to a mechanical bike and continue your journey for free.

View attachment 575667

Lots of bikes in midtown today

 

[turbanplanner]

Similar story from me yesterday, app indicated 1 free dock. When I was there in person there were 2 free docks, but none of them were functional. I tried to lift the bike in the locking mechanism and that didn't work either.

This is where the story gets interesting. I noticed someone trying to take out a bike. So I offered them mine to use. (I was running late to my meeting and didn't want to ride another 5mins to dock the bike). Specifying that you have 30mins to dock it back. He said yeah sure. I was gonna pay for a pass. The person ended up docking that bike after 2hrs!

Toronto the good haha

 

[turbanplanner]

When did they retire the LCD's? I haven't seen a function screen in a while

 

[WillTo]

View attachment 575749
Lots of bikes in midtown today

Almost all breaking proper stack etiquette

 

[turbanplanner]

Almost all breaking proper stack etiquette

Common courtesy isn't common in Toronto

 

[WislaHD]

I have been noticing an improvement in midtown the past week or so.
They seem to flood the neighbourhood with bikes. Then over the course of the week they will trickle back down to zero. Then flood again.
But there is this new phenomenon where there are only ebikes left. If you are frugal member like me and are going downhill, you can bike to a mechanical bike and continue your journey for free.

View attachment 575667

Yup, I always take the mechanical bike downtown. There is no real speed advantage with the electric bikes for downhill travel, with them having their speeds rightfully capped (though I wouldn't mind a few extra clicks per km).

Decided to bike around humber bay. Saw "1 dock left" which means 0 on 2 of the stations. It was so bad there were multiple bikes left on the street. Wonder how much those users will end up being charged. There were additional bikes out of frame but didn't want to take flash photos of strangers at night

View attachment 575673

I've begun noticing this behavior a lot recently too. Stations downtown with no open docks and dozens of people standing around the docks on bikes not knowing what to do next. I had to bike an extra 10 minutes the other day to find an open dock, passing by a half dozen stations on my way, and then walking back 20 minutes the other way to my destination.

When I was done with my evening, I returned to the spot and there were a solid 10 or so bikes just left standing next to the full dock. Including an electric bike which I then took back up to the Midtown bike desert. Free ride I guess.

 

[elcorrerador]

I've begun noticing this behavior a lot recently too. Stations downtown with no open docks and dozens of people standing around the docks on bikes not knowing what to do next. I had to bike an extra 10 minutes the other day to find an open dock, passing by a half dozen stations on my way, and then walking back 20 minutes the other way to my destination.

The lack of available docks be it docks being actually available vs docks not being functional is very frustrating. At least bike shares is open to refunding extra fees that are incurred when 30min/45min plan members go over their time.

Not sure how they handle the pay as you go passes.

 

[afransen]

It seems that Bike Share should really consider something like the Montreal bixi points system for getting users to rebalance bikes. I could see even offering free rides for non-members if they move a bike from a full station to an empty station. If people are going that way anyway, might as well bring a bike.

Become an AMI BIXI! - BIXI Montréal

The AMI BIXI program is an eco-friendly way to rebalance the BIXI network by increasing bike and dock availability.

bixi.com