Bixi bicycle sharing systems.

[randomness]

I realize that it doesn't actually make that much economic sense for Bixi/Alta Bicycle Share to support a worldwide membership, but I would be much more likely to take out an annual membership if it worked in all the cities in which they operate.

The system currently operates in Montreal, QC; Ottawa, ON; Melbourne, VIC; Minneapolis, MN; London; Washington, DC; Toronto, ON; Boston, MA; and Chattanooga, TN, plus some other special locations. It opens tomorrow in New York City, which is why this idea came to mind. I don't think I'm alone in visiting multiple cities in that list in any given year.

Call it "Global Membership" or even "Gold Access" or something. You'd issue a special key that unlocks a bike in any station in any city in the system. Play up the "VIP" angle and make the key a bright gold or something. I think they'd sell some, even if it cost more than just getting temporary access in other cities when you visited, simply because of convenience.

Ultimately it would be very cool if one's bikeshare membership worked everywhere there was a bikeshare system of any type, but I'll certainly settle for being able to get a bike anywhere this particular system operates.

ETA: The B-cycle network, a competing system which operates in cities across the United States, rolled out support for memberships across 15 of the cities in its network back in March.

Comments

[ceo]

Now I'm waiting for someone to ride a Citi Bike from NYC to Boston and see if they can simply check it in at a Hubway station.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Back when Hubway opened I thought it would be amusing to toss a Bixi Montreal bike into a truck and try checking it in at Hubway or vice versa, but was deterred by the fees.

Now, of course, there are many more possibilities. But the fees are still a deterrent.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

They look different, though, and it would not be very fair to set up a situation where they have to truck it back, somehow.

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

OTOH, I bet a worldwide membership wouldn't do any economic harm to anybody, either, and it'd make a few users really happy, which is quite worth something, I think.

[frotz.livejournal.com]

B-cycle annoys me for not allowing bicycle acquisition between midnight and 5am. (At least that's the Madison setup.) Considering the "way to get home after transit stops running" use case, that just seems dumb. Presumably there's some reason though; any ideas?

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

That does seem dumb. I don't think the Bixi system locks you out overnight, either.

I have no ideas. Have you asked them?

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Ooo. I would find that neat.