Bicycles have long been promoted as an eco-friendly and safe mode of transportation. They are without a doubt one of the best last mile commute options. While dock-based bike share and rental systems have been implemented in various city transportation systems, they have been limited by a shortage of reliable dock availability, expensive equipment, and inefficient operations.
Interestingly, with the ubiquity of smartphones, the popularity of on-demand app solutions, advancements in bike technology and spread of IoT, the last one or two years have witnessed a strong rise in the use of “dockless” bike sharing apps and services in China and other countries.
Also dubbed as the “Uber for bikes,” this new type of bike share system offers bikes on-demand that can be accessed from any approved public space, use real-time GPS to locate a nearby bike, and allow users to leave the bike at any approved location.
China leads the way with over 16 million shared cycles across its major cities. Dockless bike share apps like Mobike and Ofo together have a joint valuation of over $2 billion and are rapidly expanding their operations. In fact, the total number of bike sharing rides in the 1st quarter of 2017 in China was more than the number of on-demand trips during the same period in India.
After gaining a massive market in China the trend is catching up in other countries like India, USA, Europe, Malaysia and other parts of the world.
How does a dockless bike sharing app work?
Riders will need to download an on-demand bike share app on their smartphone. They can locate the nearest bike in real-time and book one through the app just like booking a cab.The cycles can be unlocked automatically by scanning a QR code from the smartphone camera or using a lock combination shown in the app.
Riders reach their destination and manually lock the cycle at the end of their trip. Payments can be made through online methods like wallets or credit cards. They don’t need to take it to any designated dock or parking spot and can leave it at any approved location.
Benefits of dockless bike sharing apps
- Last mile connectivity
Dockless bike sharing services solve the last mile commuting problem successfully. You can reach home from a subway by picking up a cycle right outside the station- no need to wait in the queue or look for other options. - Beat the congestion
The founder of the Indian startup Letscycle.in, Raj Chauhan found a surprising thing while clocking 500 odd kilometers on the streets of Delhi on his cycle. In a bid to gather insight and intelligence for his bike sharing business, he discovered that it took the same time to reach a destination by car and cycle in the city traffic. - Cheaper commute
Bicycles are a very economical commute option compared to other modes of transportation. Certain bike share services offer free minutes on every ride, basically making shorter rides free.
