Lyft also bought PBSC Urban Solutions in early 2022, the manufacturer of bikeshare bikes and docks for not only Motivate systems but almost every major docked bikeshare system in the world. 😬
I'd be interested in hearing the same analysis for B Cycle, owned by Trek (a bike manufacturer), which runs the bike share for small and mid sized cities in the US. Trek isn't publicly traded so there won't be as much info about it, but I wonder if it's easy enough to track if they're net entering or exiting markets to show whether the space could be profitably managed by a 3rd party.
My experience riding a Cincinnati RedBike is that I don't think I could damage the thing if I tried. They're clunky but e-bike options can neutralize that shortcoming. Maybe robust bikes from an actual bike manufacturer that's incentivized to build a model that lasts is the way to go.
Sad that Lyft pulled their undocked e-bikes from LA. It was the single thing that made me renew my Lyft Pink membership, which actually is worth quite a bit to the company given choices in rideshare…
@Ali given the public-private conundrum that you lay out, do you think non-profit bike-share operators have a greater role to play in this space? I'm thinking of Bublr Bikes in Milwaukee. https://bublrbikes.org/about
not familiar with bublr, but i think nonprofit is definitely a model worth considering. goes back to the general point that if you want a system that functions akin to public transit, you can't expect to operate it at a profit. that means government subsidies, whether directly or via an intermediary like a nonprofit, sure
Lyft also bought PBSC Urban Solutions in early 2022, the manufacturer of bikeshare bikes and docks for not only Motivate systems but almost every major docked bikeshare system in the world. 😬
I'd be interested in hearing the same analysis for B Cycle, owned by Trek (a bike manufacturer), which runs the bike share for small and mid sized cities in the US. Trek isn't publicly traded so there won't be as much info about it, but I wonder if it's easy enough to track if they're net entering or exiting markets to show whether the space could be profitably managed by a 3rd party.
My experience riding a Cincinnati RedBike is that I don't think I could damage the thing if I tried. They're clunky but e-bike options can neutralize that shortcoming. Maybe robust bikes from an actual bike manufacturer that's incentivized to build a model that lasts is the way to go.
Sad that Lyft pulled their undocked e-bikes from LA. It was the single thing that made me renew my Lyft Pink membership, which actually is worth quite a bit to the company given choices in rideshare…
interesting, need to look closer, but seems like lyft pink has not taken off at all like uber one
@Ali given the public-private conundrum that you lay out, do you think non-profit bike-share operators have a greater role to play in this space? I'm thinking of Bublr Bikes in Milwaukee. https://bublrbikes.org/about
not familiar with bublr, but i think nonprofit is definitely a model worth considering. goes back to the general point that if you want a system that functions akin to public transit, you can't expect to operate it at a profit. that means government subsidies, whether directly or via an intermediary like a nonprofit, sure