ofo, a bike share company similar to oBike, is offering free rides in December. Normal rates for ofo are $1 for 30 minutes with a cap of $5. NO DEPOSIT need.
ofo have a 24 hours phone number both riders/non-riders can call to complain about bikes (e.g. hey there is a bike up in the tree.)
Twitter Link for the non-FBers.
This bike ride sharing works really well in China to be honest lol
They are everywhere but not blocking the way and are constantly being used.
What I've always been confused about is that our laws requires:
1. Wears a helmet
2. Ride on the road
I've seen so many bikes without helmets so it's like are we meant to BYO??
They're supposed to come with helmets. I think people just steal them.
some people ride the bike park it… and then take the helmet with them so that no one takes the bike so that when they return they have a bike to ride.
I've seen people take the helmets to work, to café and shopping.
Can police ticket you if without helmet? Is there any law in NSW to wear helmet while riding bikes?
@ronnknee: Ohk, Thanks.. I thought that law was only applicable for motor bike, not for manual bike.. Because I have seen many times the Foodora and Deliveroo guys deliver the food with in CBD and riding bike with just a baseball Cap..
People are stealing the helmets off these bikes and other bikes. I had my crappy old helmet stolen last week (in Fitzroy) from my normal bike. Whether it was someone looking for a helmet to use on an oBike or something else I'm not sure.
People are stealing the helmets off these bikes and other bikes.
The last couple of people riding o-bikes that I've seen weren't even wearing any helmets.
Is there a black market for used helmets?
Not that I know of.
I equate wearing some else's used helmet to wearing some else's used underwear…
@jv:
I equate wearing some else's used helmet to wearing some else's used underwear
So there is a huge market for used helmets.
@Scab: in japan they even have vending machines for used helmets. I considered setting up a business getting prison inmates to wear new helmets for a couple of weeks so I could sell them as used at high prices.
@jv:
I equate wearing some else's used helmet to wearing some else's used underwear…
And some people pay money for used underwear… They could save some cash by switching to helmets.
What I've always been confused about is that our laws requires:
1. Wears a helmet
That young girl that was knocked over by the hit-run driver in Pascoe Vale a couple of weeks back might have just walked away if she was wearing a helmet. Not sure what here condition is now, but her prospects did not look good at the time.
It doesn't even have to be that serious.
I never used to be keen on helmets, but wore them anyway. Riding home from work a few weeks ago, around a blind corner a pedestrian stepped out in front of me.
The collision was unavoidable and I flew over my bars, landing on the back of my head and cracking my helmet in three places, it was a huge knock.
I have no idea what would have happened without a helmet but it only takes one idiot on their phone stepping into the road and that could have been the end of me.
might have just walked away
What are the tattslotto numbers for tonight going to be?
..just while we're predicting the future
@Hoju: how (profanity) fast were you going around a blind corner? of course it was avoidable. learn how to use the road, it is not a velodrome. this is why cyclists over 18 should be licensed. the amount of times I see them blatantly breaking the road rules is ridiculous.
i once had one ride down a hill through a stop sign into my passenger door. scared the shit out of me. i ran back to check him and he was up an off before I got to him, swearing at me as he went. caved in the whole door panel he was going so fast. no mean feat as it was a 1973 torana.
@antikythera: >the amount of times I see them blatantly breaking the road rules is ridiculous.
That goes for
- Cyclists
- Motorist
- Motorcyclists
- Pedestrians
(profanity) don't limit themselves to one mode of transport. The difference is that motorists being (profanity) cause a lot more damage to innocent people, then all the others put together.
I have no idea what would have happened without a helmet but it only takes one idiot on their phone stepping into the road and that could have been the end of me.
I always predict what could happen in risky places & slow down with max concentration or ring the bell. Never had any fall/scratch in 40 years regular riding.
Helmet should be optional - for risk takers & young/old. I had more injuries as pedestrian/home doing wrong steps. Never in traffic.
Anectodal joke how to reduce # riders in Paris. They prohibited women up to 21 years old. All women stopped riding.
Austalia is car country. Bicycles, public transport, pedestrians are discouraged to affect the traffic & have to wait long to cross the road.
The rules should be simple: More people have priority over less. For 1 to 1, the weaker has priority. Overpowered (4WD, utes…) should pay higher gov. insurance for introducing unnecessary risk (with exceptions).
the speed limit is the maximum. you should ride / drive to conditions. going so fast around a blind corner that you cannot stop is not allowing for conditions.
Watched a little kid get hit by a car doing like 15km/h and the helmet cracked. Little kid was mostly ok. Would have been boned without a helmet.
I was using these bike sharing things until the (profanity) on my street started locking them behind their apartment doors to keep them for themselves. Bought a $150 bike and I just use that now, although I occasionally use a ReddyGo or whatever if I don't want to have to ride home afterwards. Even then, I still bring my own helmet. I found someone had rubbed dogshit on one of the bike seats once, I'm sure people have done the same to the helmets.
You forgot the comments about bikies :D
with ofo
Oh No !!!
another one…
ono !!!
FTFY.
This should be funny to watch
With a cap of $5. No deposit needed.
I'm a bit confused by this. No deposit needed, a cap of only $5 applies, what is to stop people from taking them for as long as they want (read: indefinitely)?
Daily cap.
Ah ok, still doesn't get around the deposit though? Sounds like an awful lot of trust, like an "honesty box"
Well, they have your credit card so you can't just ride off with one.
@neil: Forgot about the app; do you have to pay by card? Lol, I know I must seem suspicious but I have no plans to play the system or commit any acts of fraud. Would something like an eftpos/visa gift card work? < Know nothing about visa gift cards though so probably not.
@pennypincher98:
Taking it is still stealing, same as nicking any other bike.
They also have GPS systems in the lock bit.
@mskeggs: I know lol I'm not going to steal it. Just wondering what stops others.
GPS systems in the lock bit is a subtle way of deterring such activity though. Still if someone really wanted to steal it though, I am sure they would find a way.
They are pretty poor bikes. If I was going to steal a bike I would go for something better.
edit: I'm talking about the obikes in Melbourne. I haven't see the ofo bikes.
people from taking them for as long as they want (read: indefinitely)?
$1,825 per year…
Go for it, if you want to…
They have to get the money off you first though.
Prepaying obviously won't work.
I have used the bikes in Adelaide a few times now. I work in the city so they are handy to get from A to B quicker.
handy to get from A to B quicker.
If you're in Adelaide, you can just walk.
Actually, part of the problem with Adelaide's CBD is that it is way too big and lacks the buzz and busyness you get with more condensed CBDs.
the problem with Adelaide's CBD is that it is way too big
ha ha… I thought you were serious there for a minute… :P
They have great bikes, better than obike. But they geo-fenced the region so not suitable if you plan to leave your bike outside of it
OFO … I read it as O F** Off
If they ever decide to use motorised bikes they could be called MOFO
I am using both oBike and ofo, and the ofo bikes are way better. Service seems to be better as well, I hardly ever see them in the same place twice.
hmmm summer… how high do you think they will get the mountain of bikes in bondi up to
I've used the oBike and Reddy bikes for fun rides around the harbour foreshore from Haymarket round to Ultimo and back. It is lovely to cruise around on a nice day. I paid the deposit on oBike (since refunded, and I think they dropped the requirement), but haven't paid for a ride yet with freebies.
Would I pay $1 for a bit of lunchtime recreation? Yep. Is my data on my movements going to be able to be sold for a massive reward? Seems unlikely.
Where do you enter referral codes? The "Promotions" box in the app won't accept these.
So, no voucher code? Just sign up and use?
"Normal rates for ofo are $1 for 30 minutes"
that's so bloody good..
Bike sharing in Sydney won't last much longer.
They're good for flat cities like Adelaide. It's an uphill ride out/in to Sydney CBD to any where but towards the south.
For me that's not the problem, the issue is having to dodge them littered all over the footpath, side of the road, parks, etc.
Well, I think the bicycle sharing business wouldn't work here at all, given that 1. there is no bicycle lane 2. in Australian people's mind, bicycles are for sport, not for commute. 3. there is no space on Australian roads for parking the bicycles. So the failure of this kind of business is just a matter of time.
However, the big players such as mobike and ofo won't care if they fail here or not - they just got too much money to burn. I would say that it's not bad to give it a try when the bicycles are available here. You will need to use them anyway if you go to China one day.
You probably have some different Australia. In Adelaide: 1. there are plenty of bike lanes 2. you can [legally] ride on footpath. 3. every big company have basement in a CBD building dedicated to bike parking and showers /lockers (and they are not dusty). 4. heaps of street parking and cheap off street options and cages at train stations.
I'm hoping the prevalence of bikes would force the government to invest on bike-friendly infrastructure (eg. actual bike lanes, bike racks) and change the law to allow bikes to be slowly ridden on footpath.
Free mustache rides in Movember, free bicycle rides in December. Can't complain.
$1 per 30 min is great and the cap is a brill idea. No deposit is awesome. Hopefully this company succeeds as they aren't plain ripping people off like oBike. The bikes are likely to be constantly used and therefore less likely vandalism targets.
Can anyone from Adelaide please advise whether these bikes are plentiful in the CBD/North Adelaide areas and around Glenelg/Henley beaches? I'll be visiting in a couple of weeks and wondering whether playing tourist on these bikes is a viable option.
OK, comment checklist:
☐ I see so many of these bikes near me. No one ever rides them or they are broken.
☐ Throwing bikes into the Yarra River (or other body of water).
☐ Problems with people in society (related to above).
☑ These block the footpath.
☐ Something, something council.
☐ How do they make money?
☑ These companies are selling data. (related to above).
☐ Someone linking to article about what happens with bikes in China.