On Thu, 12 Sep 2013 00:56:55 +0100, Paul Corfield wrote:
I have read far too many stories and tweets about the lousy
availability of bikes and space to return bikes that it's put me right
off. What is the point of a scheme that means you ride for 10 minutes
but take over 30 mins to find a space to return your bike and you end
up away from your destination? I mean why on earth bother with that
sort of uncertainty?

It depends a bit on the journey. I often get the train to Moorgate and
then use a hire bike to get to my office on the edge of zone 1, with the
return in the evening. Since this is against the main commuter flows in
the area I don't have bike/dock issues at either end.

The idea of a bike hire service is theoretically attractive but
London's execution just seems dire. The scale of subsidy is also
nightmarish for what is a niche service both in terms of its role in
the transport network and also the limited demographic that seems to
use the scheme. Spend the tens of millions on improving bus services
instead.

What is the subsidy per trip and how does it compare to the bus or tube
which are the alternatives I sometimes use?