|
|
|
Toronto Bike Share
- Thread starter kettal
- Start date
PL1
Senior Member
So, I found 5 bikes at 2 different docks with fake QR codes. All the bikes with the fake codes were non e-bikes). Probably not a new thing, but I've never encountered this. I removed them, and have reported it to Bike Share.
Anyway, beware and be suspicious of anything that looks different.
Anyway, beware and be suspicious of anything that looks different.
txlseries4
Active Member
Took a bike the other day for the first time in a while and most at the station had these seats which I think are new? I don't at all mind the other ones but this felt really comfortable
PL1
Senior Member
If those are the ones with the handle underneath, they are comfortable. They have a lighter grey version on the newest E-bikes.
TwoWheelPoli
Active Member
Just at a curiosity, who here has gotten to try the new bike share e-bikes? I finally did this morning. Feels heavy to push around, but I love the instant power along with the integrated bike bell and phone holder. Another improvement I wished could be done is the ability to show the speed on the display instead of just the range remaining.
ilovebikeshare
New Member
I've ridden them in New York and they're great once you get moving but definitely a little unwieldy compared to the classic bikes. These bikes also allow you to either ride in full pedal assist mode, or just low-power mode that simulates a classic bike experience. Citibike allows users to ride e-bikes in low-power mode at no charge (up to 45 min) if there are no classic bikes at the station so I hope this is something we import here.
Midtown Urbanist
Superstar
That would be great, addresses one of my biggest complaints.
When they finally do restock the bikes in Midtown, they typically stuff the stations with 10 e-bikes and 1 normal bike. I don't really need the e-bike for heading downhill to downtown.
DSCToronto
Superstar
Member Bio
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2008
- Messages
- 22,418
- Reaction score
- 37,146
- Location
- St Lawrence Market Area
Full Metal Junkie
Senior Member
I just saw one in the wild this morning. It zoomed past me on the trail as I was slowly pedaling my peasant non-ebike uphill. I got to admire how good the retro-style integrated rear light looks on these bikes, as it quickly disappeared in the distance up the road.
Judging by my experience this morning, the display would just say "plenty of speed"
McGillicuddy
Active Member
The goal is to trick people unfamiliar with the system into scanning the QR code and paying money to an unknown party. (The website will say "Pay $5 to unlock this bike!", you pay your $5, and then absolutely nothing happens.)
PL1
Senior Member
It goes to a website that looks like it's designed to scam automobile parking. You input License plate, etc. not sure what the point is of putting these on bikes, but I suppose any stolen money is free for the scammers. And they get your CC number
txlseries4
Active Member
Hilariously sort of does that... it takes people to a website where they can enter a license plate and pay for parking. This is what the site looks like lol
kotsy
Senior Member
Lazy scammers wouldn't set up a dedicated page for bike share 
Full Metal Junkie
Senior Member
I did a follow-up investigation regarding the above story. Something bugged me a lot from that frosty winter morning. The issue of Ghost Bike Share Stations (or so I thought).
You see, as I exited the Exhibition GO station that morning, I looked up the nearest Bike Share station and I was pleasantly treated by the app showing there were plenty of bikes at a station that was right there at the exit. More precisely on the south-west corner of Manitoba Dr. & Nova Scotia Ave.
To my dismay, not only did I not find any available bikes there, there was no station at all! I looked around for a bit, there was no station to be seen anywhere in the vicinity. I shrugged and went to the next station on the map (near Hotel X). Luckily, the station was indeed there and had a couple of bikes.
Ever since then, it really bugged me. Was the station on the corner of Manitoba/Nova Scotia completely covered by a giant pile of snow that morning? Did they remove it for the winter and didn't update the map? Was I blind??
This morning I swung by that location. I needed to have my questions answered. The snow banks along the road are gone, but the station is still nowhere to be found, yet still on the map!
Once again, from ^this vantage point at the exit of the Exhibition GO, I looked all the way around and there were no Bike Share stations in sight. Not on the southwest corner, nowhere around that intersection.
"I have discovered a ghost station" I thought to myself, pleased with the results of my investigation.
As I set off eastwards along Manitoba Dr, I had my hypothesis shattered soon enough. I found the missing Bike Share station, hidden under a canopy, tucked behind a bend in a fence, invisible from the intersection it was mapped to:
All this to say is that in this particular case, the station is so sloppily mismapped, I genuinely couldn't find it twice(!) before finally accidentally stumbling upon it. Here is it's actual location (note that Google Maps also has it mismapped):
I'm sure this will create absolutely no issues whatsoever for World Cup tourists, given it is literally the closest station to BMO Field...
Last edited:
McGillicuddy
Active Member
World Cup is gonna have valet stations for surzies. Dozens and dozens of bikes piled up. You won't be able to miss them.