Have electric rental bikes created reckless riding?

Zooming through red lights and squeezing through live traffic like their lives depend on it. I've seen some seriously questionable riding behaviour and with the weather getting warmer and the roll out of rentals growing from strength to strength, there's a few problems I'd like to see nipped in the bud.

The issue, I think, really lies with how the companies structure their services, so stick around to hear more...

00:00 The rise of rentals
00:51 How it all started
03:19 What's available and what's the appeal?
03:57 But there's a problem...
06:06 What we could do about it
07:52 Let's get it right

#electroheads #ebike #electricbike

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[rinnin]

Brilliant idea about pausing the timer (using GPS) when stopped at traffic lights. It’s a no brainer. Would definitely entice me to actually try one out instead of getting the bus.

[daveg]

It's not just ebikers that jump red lights. Plenty of push bikers also push their luck!
I'm out in the sticks and currently drive and during the summer face the hordes of those that herd together and fill the narrow lanes. Cutting blind corners is another method of terrifying us drivers. I very nearly gained a new mascot or two when a bunch thought they could do a 45 degree shortcut at a T junction.
Meanwhile, at 76 I'm saving hard for my first ebike and hope to be (back on) two wheels this summer.
Love the vids and reviews. Keep them coming!.

[MrFrosty]

Been research ebikes extensively with a view to buying one for my partner in Cambridge (No.1 cycling city, allegedly) we worked out that her 4/5 mile commute between home and work for cost a conservative £140/month to use the city's rental bikes - that buys a lot of ebike over time! Thank you for the superb reviews and bright, informed delivery. Very welcome :)
Also added my pennyworth to the govt consultation. tend to agree with 500w and certainly a throttle to assist with those less able/less fit to ride a bike. totally agree that a basic Cycling proficiency test (remember them?) would be good if not something akin to the CBT for motorised bikes.

[Thej]

It reminds me of the quote "It's hard to make a person understand something when their salary depends on them not understanding it". How can you make a cyclist stop at a red light when you are effectively fining them for stopping?


Charging per distance instead of time could help reduce the rush feeling. You are usually going a set distance, so now you can travel as slow as you like and not worry about paying more.

[bubandit]

This is my argument for regulation of electric scooters. The feedback from rental schemes really isn't indicative of private ownership. Complaints about things like scooters being trashed or left in obstructive places just wouldn't be a problem because people wouldn't do that to their private, paid-for scooters.
Dangerous use also comes with novelty. A rental scooter is a toy you have no responsibility for. Some people will be reckless because they aren't accountable for the scooter. The UK needs to regulate ASAP.

[slartiuk]

I want to see Beryl, in Norwich, implement a "Bounty Hunter" scheme. It would use say £7 of the £10 pound fee from out of bay stops, and pay it to users who go out to find abandoned bikes and return them to there nearest station. This could also extend to rewarding users who tidy up stray bike clusters with maybe ride credit?
Cost per time rather than cost per mile seems like a bad way to have this sort of service, encouraging bad behaviour all round and penalising less active/able riders. Seems like maybe company/shareholder greed at play?

[dyotoorion]

Wow I had no idea Lime bikes are so expensive. So happy I have my own EBike - every ride costs a couple of pence in electricity. :-)

[Moshimulations]

It is a real problem out there, thankfully in London you do have the Santander Bikes which do make things generally cheaper.
30 mins per £1.65 is quite a no brainer when you come to think of it, as it is subsidised by TFL and maintained by Santander.
Even if you get a monthly/yearly subscription that 1.65 is now for 60 minutes, that sort of thing prevents stupid incidents like you mentioned. (Red light jumping and overall bad riding)

I generally cycle from Zone 2 to Zone 1, and yes I see that Santander Riders ride much better than these other schemes.

[harrisonxXx]

I was renting scooters once for a while.

I was very stressed during driving since you have to pay for each minute. The stress was going away as i "checked out" the scooter, but then frustration filled my mind since the scooters are overpriced.

Both are "good" reasons to either drive across red lights (if the way is obviously free of cars etc) or due to frustration because of the high price, slow speed etc to then throw the scooter/e-bike wherever you want.


In fact i have seen already people destroying those scooters and e-bikes on purpose because of those greedy rental services, and i am fine with it.... they need to be removed anyways.

[NWforager]

we have those lime bikes in US . i like them but agree about rushing to try and get value . Thanks Eilis for bringing up the issue of Price per minute VS price per Distance . that free public bikes thing is great but may not work in places of high crime maybe . Then again i see literally Millions of bikes trashed in China . Would be good to have a few hundred per Western city publicly free for folks .

[chrissmall]

Hey Electroheads, thanks to you i purchased a Volt London -bike that i must admit i really enjoy although i would rather have the option to use Full Electric when i wanted like the not Legal e-bikes i see cruising around London every day .
The E-bikes that can be parked wherever you choose DO cause not only a lot of distress to pedestrians but also a lot of damage when dumped against expensive cars or when the London Crazies come out at night to throw them all over the place and also i have seen a Hell of a Lot of people pick up the rear of the bike and slam it down while moving forward so they can Break the security wheel lock.
And finally the lime bikes are SO POORLEY maintained even from your Vlog you can see the seriously Rusting chain and commonly seen flat spots on tyres as the Santander bikes are in a fixed Bay they appear to be better cared for and very rare to see one blocking a footpath.
LOVE YOUR CONTENT ELECTROHEADS

[oldbaldguy]

Passing a cycling proficiency test would go some way to make sure we are all on the same page ( I did this in Junior school ). If you don't follow some form of training then how are you expected to follow the highway code. Let's be honest, people have bugger all common sense nowadays. I've driven push bikes, motor bikes, cars, vans and lorries, so I get the need for us all to follow the same rules!!

[nickclarkuk]

Great suggestion about pausing the timer when stopping at lights .

[and]

I'd like to suggest a topic... disability/old age etc., I'm 60 & had a big stroke but I really wanted to get away from driving my suv everywhere, so I bought an ebike with a mid motor, torque sensor and 20 inch wheels. I have balance issues and I quickly realised I should have got a bike with bigger wheels, I'm doing ok with it but it's taken a few weeks to get confident. Pot holes make it hard not to fall off. Also maybe I should have gone for a cadence sensor, at first I fell off a few times because my bike takes off instantly and really fast. It'd be great to hear suggestions and see some more info out there!

[megapangolin]

Eilis, this is a problem that people could only guess at, why do rental ebikers jump lights. So the best thing has to be to change the rental model. How about rental by eg the half hour, then the time critcality of movement vs waiting declines, also people might also enjoy using the bike not just racing flat out all the time to save money, leading to higher customer satisfaction. Also, observers especially unfit ones will see these riders actually enjoying their ride and be tempted in. Those rental rates are bonkers high though, something needs to be done there. Stonking video, pertinent and real. Watching out for the next EilisFix...

[iainamurray]

I wonder why they’re called Boris bikes? It was Ken Livingstone’s idea and it was he that implemented it, so Ken Bikes would be more accurate. Although they were sponsored by Barclay’s, so even if you wanted the alliteration there was an option for more suitable naming.

[BoBandits]

here in Toronto, we're $120/year cad + 12¢/ minute for electric or free for 30 minutes for acoustic.
or $1.00 to unlock and 10-20¢/ minute

[philtucker]

I don’t think the extra power causes the rider to be more reckless but there is no doubt the stopping distance from such a high speed is so much longer (than a pedal bike) that many riders probably find it easier to take a chance on jumping the red and weaving pedestrian crossers than trying to stop..

[notjulesatall]

7:03 Paris made special zones for rental bike parking. It solved the parking issue quite effectively

[bobbler]

As a white cane using Londoner, there are not many days when I don’t find a neighbour’s lime bike blocking the pavement. The light crashing is a more general cyclist problem. I’ve even had cyclists remonstrate with me for forcing the, to brake at red lights by, y’know, crossing the road. Yeah, cars are worse If they hit you, but even the least considerate Chelsea tractorist will generally try not to squish pedestrians.