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  #361  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2020, 10:28 PM
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Austin B-cycle rebranded as MetroBike

https://www.austinmonitor.com/storie...-as-metrobike/

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- City Council and the Capital Metro board individually approved the new program earlier this summer, initiating a new partnership to integrate the bike-share system into the public transit system to create a synergy of increased ridership across both systems. As of this week, stations and bicycles across the city have been rebranded as MetroBike. --- “By being able to coordinate with the city and Cap Metro, we’re able to put stations exactly where they’re needed within the community, and that gives us a much bigger reach,” said Diego Martinez-Moncada, executive director of Bike Share of Austin, the nonprofit in charge of daily operations for MetroBike. --- In theory, the expansion and integration with transit will help the city decrease single-occupancy car trips down to about half of all commutes by offering a solution to the problem known as the first and last mile, which refers to the challenge of getting people to a transit stop or to their destination after they get off the bus or train.

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  #362  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2021, 3:31 AM
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It is fantastic to see Pete Buttigieg bike commute via Capitol Bikeshare. Try not to fall out of your seat imagining Elaine Chao using Capitol Bikeshare.

https://mobile.twitter.com/mstratfor...mo9YF-OMSOyxl8
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  #363  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2021, 11:03 PM
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Lime says it will spend $50 million on a huge e-bike expansion

https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/1/22...ion-investment

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- Lime is getting back to its roots. The scooter company formerly known as LimeBike says it will invest $50 million to grow its shared electric bicycle network, including adding a new model of bike and doubling the number of cities in which it operates. Lime got its start with shared bikes, only to quickly pivot after Bird first introduced the concept of dockless electric scooters in 2017. The company dropped the “bike” from its name and started phasing out its bikes in 2019. But the following year, Lime acquired bike-share company Jump from Uber, and suddenly, bikes were back on the menu. --- Now, the company is doubling down on shared electric bikes, with plans to launch in “a dozen” new cities in North America by the end of the year, as well as dozens more in Europe and other markets. In total, the company plans to have its bikes in 50 new cities by the start of 2022, roughly quadrupling its fleet size.

- The $50 million investment will largely go toward designing, manufacturing, and assembling its next-generation bike, which will start rolling out this summer. The new model will come with a more powerful 350-watt motor and a swappable battery capable of up to 25 miles of range. The battery is also interchangeable with the ones that power Lime’s Gen4 electric scooters, allowing for a standardized battery charging operation. A two-speed gear shifter will help with those hill climbs, and an integrated, electronically controlled hub lock will help keep the bike safe from theft and vandalism. --- There are other new features on the bike: the handlebars are being replaced with ones similar to Lime’s scooters, there’s a phone holder in the front basket, and the bike will be able to hit speeds of up to 20mph (depending on local regulations). It weighs 72 pounds, which is heavier than the 65-pound electric Citi Bikes.

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  #364  
Old Posted Sep 19, 2023, 12:34 PM
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We have to shut down BCycle. It breaks our hearts

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opi...n-18367512.php

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- At Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit agency that runs the BCycle system, we’ve been working to find new funding for more than a year. We’ve made tough decisions, suspending stations and raising prices. And now, in the face of a major cash crunch, we plan to shut down the operation completely in the next two months.

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  #365  
Old Posted Sep 22, 2023, 5:59 PM
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Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
We have to shut down BCycle. It breaks our hearts

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opi...n-18367512.php
Not so fast...

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...r-18377946.php

Quote:
Mayor proposes $500k bailout for BCycle, on brink of bike sharing shutdown

Dug Begley
Sep. 20, 2023
Updated: Sep. 20, 2023 6:24 p.m.


The end of the road for Houston’s bike sharing system might be a little further off into the distance after all, provided a funding boost from the city comes in.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said he will ask the City Council, likely next week, to approve $500,000 in funding for the nonprofit bike system, aimed at keeping it running another public bike rental service is in place.

“I don’t want the end user to lose,” Turner said during the Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Officials with Houston Bike Sharing said last week that they would begin shutting down the system over the next two months, as operational funds dwindled and a deal with Metropolitan Transit Authority evaporated.

Neeraj Tandon, the nonprofit’s chairman, welcomed the announcement.
At the same time, METRO is considering launching an initial 20-station bike sharing service early next year.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...photo-22324399

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Metro mulling 20 stations, 140 e-bikes as start of its own shared cycling system

Dug Begley,
Staff Writer
Sep. 21, 2023
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 9:28 a.m.

A new set of shared bikes could be poised for Houston sidewalks, as Metro officials consider a $10.6 million integration of as-needed cycling into the transit system, starting with 20 stations in early 2024.

The proposal, scheduled for approval next Thursday by the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, would approve a three-year deal with PBSC Urban Solutions, with two annual extensions.

The aim is to use cycling either to connect to places within biking distance or to access frequent transit, Metro CEO Tom Lambert said. Though costs are not finalized, the plan would be to charge a price for the bikes similar to the buses and trains, where a person pays $1.25 for a three-hour block of time.

“If you are starting with a bike and going to a bus, that is one trip,” Lambert said.

Metro moving into the bike business comes as the nonprofit running the existing BCycle system struggles to stay afloat. Houston Bike Share said last week without financial help it would start shutting off more stations and close within two months, but city officials are considering heading that off with a $500,000 commitment.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said the funding would help bridge the time between Metro’s system being operational and BCycle finding firm footing or ceasing to exist.

Leadership of the current system said it welcomed Metro's plan.

″We have long felt that Metro should operate bike share in the city," Neeraj Tandon, the nonprofit’s chairman, said in a statement. "Our goal for years has been to migrate the service to a public utility such as Metro because we know bike share is unsustainable without public funding."

If approved, the proposed system would be similar to the BCycle system for users, but with noticeable differences. The app and payment system will be different and integrated with Metro’s fare system.
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  #366  
Old Posted Sep 25, 2023, 4:52 PM
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I don't see any practical advantage, from the perspective of the commuter or someone running an errand, of electric motorcycles that happen to have pedals (aka "e-bikes") over electric scooters.

There is more virtue signaling with e-bikes because real bikes have long been associated with being "green" whereas the electric scooters are more "tech bro".

The problem with both electric motorcycles with pedals tacked on and electric scooters is that you get hardly any exercise. That said, most real bike commutes are short and flat and so you don't get much exercise from them, either.
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  #367  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 2:11 AM
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Originally Posted by jmecklenborg View Post
I don't see any practical advantage, from the perspective of the commuter or someone running an errand, of electric motorcycles that happen to have pedals (aka "e-bikes") over electric scooters.

There is more virtue signaling with e-bikes because real bikes have long been associated with being "green" whereas the electric scooters are more "tech bro".

The problem with both electric motorcycles with pedals tacked on and electric scooters is that you get hardly any exercise. That said, most real bike commutes are short and flat and so you don't get much exercise from them, either.
I'm sorry, but you seem very misguided. Electric bikes are a great for of exercise. I could be misguided on this, but I'm pretty sure e-bikes are safer than scooters based on wheel size and thus their ability to traverse rougher terrain like potholes or bumps when unexpected.

Quote:
Physical activity of electric bicycle users compared to conventional bicycle users and non-cyclists: Insights based on health and transport data from an online survey in seven European cities

Physical activity levels, measured in Metabolic Equivalent Task minutes per week (MET min/wk), were similar among e-bikers and cyclists (4463 vs. 4085). E-bikers reported significantly longer trip distances for both e-bike (9.4 km) and bicycle trips (8.4 km) compared to cyclists for bicycle trips (4.8 km), as well as longer daily travel distances for e-bike than cyclists for bicycle (8.0 vs. 5.3 km per person, per day, respectively). Travel-related activities of e-bikers who switched from cycling decreased by around 200 MET min/wk., while those switching from private motorized vehicle and public transport gained around 550 and 800 MET min/wk. respectively.
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  #368  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 3:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Klippenstein View Post
Electric bikes are a great for of exercise.
They're "great" exercise for a couch potato, and that's it.

It's like, I see all of these people out on the rail trails traveling at 30mph on their $1,500 Chinese-made e-bikes getting...no exercise. Or buzzing up the city hills without turning the pedals.

These people are burning 1,000 calories per hour, maintaining heart rates of 160bpm+ for 30-45 minutes no problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9PiAXJRDIY

Go mountain biking on a hilly course and you're easily burning 700 calories per hour.
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  #369  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 5:02 PM
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Originally Posted by M II A II R II K View Post
[B]We have to shut down BCycle. It breaks our hearts

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opi...n-18367512.php
Houston City Council has approved temporary funding for BCycle. Should bridge the gap until METRO's Bikesharing service is in place.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/houston-bike-sharing-bcycle-500k-18391859.php

Quote:
On the brink of collapse, Houston approves $500K to save BCycle bike sharing system

Dug Begley,
Staff writer
Sep. 27, 2023
Updated: Sep. 27, 2023 11:44 a.m.

Houston’s floundering bike sharing system has a little more life, after city officials approved $500,000 to keep the system operational, at least until a new system for checking out bicycles is in place.

“There are a lot of people who use the service and we don’t want them to lose the service,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

City Council approved the money Wednesday from Houston’s general fund, aimed at giving the nonprofit Houston Bike Share a few more months of funding to keep roughly 60 kiosks and the bikes held there operational. Houston’s planning department will work with the nonprofit to decide how the money will be spent and formalize an agreement with the nonprofit.

Four council members – Mike Knox, Michael Kubosh, Amy Peck and Mary Nan Huffman – opposed committing the money.

“In my view we are investing in a failing corporation,” Knox said.

The money allows the nonprofit BCycle to continue to existing, which was on the verge of collapse without finding additional money, until a new bike checkout system controlled by Metro debuts. The Metropolitan Transit Authority board is expected Thursday to approve a $10.6 million contract with a new vendor for a bike sharing system aligned with transit in the area.

If approved, Metro’s system would start with 20 stations and 140 pedal-assisted e-bikes in the first year, and add 20 stations and more bikes annually for five years.
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  #370  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 5:25 PM
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I think there is a role for e-bikes for places that have hilly terrain or windy conditions, especially for those who aren't necessarily conditioned athletes or confident riders. Of course, pedaling completely with your own feet will provide the most exercise and calorie burning, but in certain conditions, pedal assist via electric motor can be helpful without reducing the exercise output to zero. If someone is just simply using the electric motors only and sitting on the bike doing nothing else, then yeah, they're not getting any exercise.
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  #371  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 5:28 PM
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These moped style ones are pretty cool actually. Based in SD although primarily manufactured in Shanghai.

https://ride1up.com/product/revv-1/
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  #372  
Old Posted Sep 27, 2023, 6:57 PM
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These moped style ones are pretty cool actually. Based in SD although primarily manufactured in Shanghai.

https://ride1up.com/product/revv-1/

I'm seeing a lot of "rugged" e-bikes in my area of this style that appear to travel at about 30mph. They're probably a lot easier to drive than a traditional gasoline motorcycle, but I fear that people aren't getting motorcycle driving lessons.
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  #373  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2023, 2:47 PM
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Not so fast...

At the same time, METRO is considering launching an initial 20-station bike sharing service early next year.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...photo-22324399
Funding approved to create the system

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...t-18388197.php

Quote:
Second bike sharing vendor coming to Houston, with Metro approval of transit-focused system

Dug Begley,
Staff writer
Sep. 28, 2023
Updated: Oct. 1, 2023 5:41 p.m.


More publicly available bikes are bound for Houston sidewalks in the coming months as Metro officials approved spending $10.6 million to create its own bicycle sharing network, aimed at largely replacing the existing and floundering nonprofit system.

Metropolitan Transit Authority board members on Thursday approved a contract with PBSC Urban Solutions, the Canadian company that manages and provides bikes and technology for bike share system in some of North America’s largest cities.

"This gets us from the limbo we are in, with the potential of not having a bike share system in the fourth largest city," said Metro board chairman Sanjay Ramabhadran.

The system would start with 20 kiosks and 170 bikes, installed by mid-2024, officials said. Annually, plans call for adding 20 more stations and 170 bikes for up to four consecutive years. Spread across both the vendor for the bikes and kiosks, and the company that will maintain the system, Metro expects to spend $10.6 million.

Transit officials have said the system is intended to connect riders to transit, meaning kiosks will be concentrated on where they can either replace bus and rail trips, or connect riders to other travel options.
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