Dockless systems set to take shared mobility to a new level

At this year’s Bikeplus conference there was broad consensus that the rise of dockless systems would revolutionise bike share. And many in the bike share sector are now predicting that traditional and new, flexible models will increasingly converge

Ofo and Urbo bikes were taken for a spin at the recent Bikeplus conference in Manchester

Ofo and Urbo bikes were taken for a spin at the recent Bikeplus conference in Manchester

The emergence of dockless bike share was, not surprisingly, the central topic of discussion at this year’s Bikeplus conference, hosted by Transport for Greater Manchester. The rise of the dockless model has been extraordinary; since last year’s conference it has quickly evolved from a mere possibility into reality, with several schemes now in operation.

Indeed, delegates were able to use Manchester’s Mobikes to get to the conference, and enjoy a social ride on co-sponsors’ Ofo and Urbo bikes in the evening. 

The rise and rise of flexible or dockless bike share both in the UK and globally added urgency to the some of the conference’s themes: social equity and access to bike share; the power of data; rebalancing and gamification; and access to e-bikes and multiple operator cities. 

Shared mobility experts from around the world discussed bike share infrastructure and explored incentivisation and public transport integration. While there was intense debate about what rules that should surround dockless bike share, the direction of travel 

was clear. 

Building networks

Ofo’s Joseph Seal-Driver of Ofo, one of the co-sponsors of the conference, said: “It’s great to see local authorities, consultants and all kinds of docked and dockless bike share operators coming together. We’re beginning to see consensus around the kind of standards required to create a level playing field for different schemes and allow a beneficial network effect to emerge.

“We’re calling on all dockless operators to sign up to Bikeplus accreditation so that all bikes are of high quality, fleets are managed well by sufficient numbers of staff and that journey data is shared openly with transport authorities.”

This year’s event highlighted the positive benefits of bike share, both with and without docking stations, such as the social, health, and environmental benefits experienced by residents in areas that have embraced a bike share culture.

It coincided with publication of the results of the second Bikeplus UK wide survey of public bike share, which once again show that bike share is attracting more people into cycling, and particularly women. Bike share users have switched significant numbers of journeys from cars to bike share bikes.

Bikeplus director Antonia Roberts said: “As the newly published survey results show, public bike share has the potential to make a significant impact in increasing cycling numbers. So, with this amount of interest in the sector and new schemes launching every week, there is the possibility to make a real cultural shift.”

Rebalancing is an issue for all forms of bike share; if the bikes are not where people want them they simply will not be used. Rebalancing and fleet management relies largely on data, often using GPS tracking on bikes and, for some companies, machine learning to predict demand patterns, streamline redistribution and to improve customer service.

While questions were asked about whether the humble and simple bicycle really needed such a high tech approach, the arguments for data were compelling. It is clear that heat maps and usage data are useful operationally, provided they are available to local authorities to paint a picture of cycling routes and journeys within their area. Operators, data providers and logistics managers argued for the importance of data in creating space for cycling and cycling policies. 

Increasingly, connected cars, buses and trains inform infrastructure and transport management. If bikes don’t collect data and local authorities don’t use it, how will transport strategies properly incorporate cycling infrastructure and encourage cycling?

Increasing dependence on technology has created question marks over how people without smartphones or credit cards can access bike share. Bike share is undeniably a cheap form of transport, but some of those who could most benefit from it have been excluded. In the case of the Glasgow Bike Station, a bike hub provides unlimited access RFID cards for a small cash payment so that people can access the Glasgow nextbike scheme without needing a bank account or smart phone.

Equally, the investment required to set up electric bike systems tends to lead to the expectation that they would be both docked and tightly managed. What is becoming increasingly evident is that e-bikes enable more people to cycle, to make longer journeys and to avoid some of the factors, which put people off a cycling journey, like getting sweaty on the way to work. The success of Hourbike and Co-bike public e-bike sharing schemes suggests that e-bikes should feature more prominently in bike share schemes – particularly in hilly areas.

Another recurring issue at this year’s event was regulation, not just of the operational quality of schemes, which impacts on usage and take up, but also of overall numbers of schemes.

Julian Scriven, managing director of nextbike UK, said: “While operators chase 16-17 cities and compete for success in the same locations, there is a potential for competing bike share schemes within a single environment to create a ‘population crisis’ in which over supply of bikes makes all schemes unviable.” 

At the same time, the potential for broadening access to bike share was drawn out in several sessions. The investment required for docking bike systems like Santander has meant that the scheme has not been extended beyond the core central zone in London. By contrast, flexible systems are starting to capitalise on latent demand in outer boroughs.

There was discussion of how geofencing could help manage drop-off areas. Geofenced areas can allow people using docked systems to leave bikes in designated areas next to docks that are full. They can also be used encourage people to park dockless bikes in set areas rather than at random locations, as demonstrated by the Hourbike-managed scheme in Brighton. They are easily changed to reflect real travel data and demand. Geofencing also opens the potential for hybrid schemes with docked e-bikes and more flexible conventional bikes. 

Not being able to find a bike to use and lack of coverage, particularly at transport hubs, discouraged people from using bike share.

This was highlighted by the results of the Bikeplus survey; although over 75% of bike share users rated all aspects of the service as good, station coverage was one of the lowest rated areas, with 15% of respondents rating it as poor. 

That is why hybrid systems appear to suggest a more customer-friendly system, with geofenced drop zones next to docks to cope with ‘overflow’ of docked bikes or the marking out of parking areas for schemes that don’t use docks. And on one issue there was clear consensus among all bike share operators – the sector is going to see much more convergence between traditional and the new flexible schemes.  

The DfT are currently organising a one day conference, which will focus on the next steps for dockless cycle hire. The event will provide an opportunity for transport authorities to hear from dockless cycle scheme operators and councils who are running schemes and those that are considering options.

The event is aimed at any organisation planning a dockless scheme or for those that want to find out more, learn from others experiences and quickly mobilise a trouble-free scheme. For more information, please contact Daniel Simpson daniel@landor.co.uk or call 020 7091 7861.