Cyclists encouraged to rent unused bikes, sporting gear in latest form of sharing economy

[Ross]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-08/b ... ne/9408946

It's already taken the taxi and hotel industries by storm, and the sharing economy now has its sights on disused bikes collecting dust in sheds.

Bicycling Queensland has partnered with the start-up Quipmo to encourage cyclists to rent their bikes and other idle sporting equipment to the public.

The new peer-to-peer trading network has already attracted hundreds of listings.

BQ chief executive Anne Savage said one in four Queensland households was hiding up to three bikes that could be rented to tourists and locals in need of transport.

"Those bikes may go unridden 80 per cent of the time," she told ABC Radio Brisbane.

"A lot of people who are retiring are supplementing their retirement income with sharing.

"It's really changing the nature of our economy and we love it because if we can get more people on bikes, we're living in a less-congested world and everybody is happy."

Quipmo's website says users need to be at least 18 years of age to create an account and list bicycles for rent.

The company also guarantees users signing up in Queensland will be covered by third-party liability insurance covering damage, theft and loss of rented gear.

The platform will run alongside Brisbane's CityCycle scheme, which operates 150 bike rental stations around the city.

Ms Savage said she did not believe ride sharing would affect use of the existing service.

"Our very strong view is that if you normalise sharing and you get more people on bikes in general, you'll probably actually see greater uptake of CityCycle off the back of this."

[10speedsemiracer]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-08/b ... ne/9408946

It's already taken the taxi and hotel industries by storm, and the sharing economy now has its sights on disused bikes collecting dust in sheds.

Bicycling Queensland has partnered with the start-up Quipmo to encourage cyclists to rent their bikes .......

So not so much news, rather a marketing piece.

(It looks like Qipmo charge a 20% commission on rental fees, although they do provide Insurance against theft/damage etc).

[Jmuzz]

Couldn't do it with a carbon bike, won't discover it was damaged until it snaps on you.
Decent groupset would suffer the problem of people swapping worn out bits for your good bits too, the reason rental car companies often substitute the model which was booked and won't commit to a specific model.

Crash from mechanical failure is a worry. Insurance tends to still come for you if they get evidence of negligence or an out of specification repair or configuration.

[djw47]

A ridiculous idea that completely misunderstands people's desire to possess and protect things - there is no way most people who own bikes would let them be used by others for many perfectly valid reasons. My bed lies empty for 16 hours a day, perhaps I should set up an app that allows people to use beds that are not being used during the day? Good ideas inevitably lead to stupid ideas as others try to cash-in.

[g-boaf]

Couldn't do it with a carbon bike, won't discover it was damaged until it snaps on you.
Decent groupset would suffer the problem of people swapping worn out bits for your good bits too, the reason rental car companies often substitute the model which was booked and won't commit to a specific model.

Crash from mechanical failure is a worry. Insurance tends to still come for you if they get evidence of negligence or an out of specification repair or configuration.

And how do you know you'll even see the bike again or that it doesn't end up hanging from a tree, a lamp post or in a river? And then the council will charge you a fee to recover it, potentially.

[human909]

A ridiculous idea [for me] that completely misunderstands people's [my] desire to possess and protect things

If this was the case why are people people willing to lend out cars and houses in a similar fashion. These are more expensive and can have just as much if not more more emotional attachment as bicycles.

there is no way most people who own bikes would let them be used by others for many perfectly valid reasons.

Who said anything about most people. Most people don't rent their houses out on AirBNB but that hasn't stopped it from booming.

My bed lies empty for 16 hours a day, perhaps I should set up an app that allows people to use beds that are not being used during the day?

Its called AirBNB.

For what its worth I've been running a loan bike scheme for almost a decade. The bike is over 25 years old but is still running and still earning its keep.

[bychosis]

Probably good for some, but not for me.

I like MY stuff to be available for me to use whenever. Besides, if I was to rent it out I'd need to make sure everything was 100% all the time. As it is I can leave a slow leak and pump up before each ride knowing how long it will last, or be cautious with the gear change or brakes because they are playing up, and leave maintenance for whenever I can be bothered.

[Jmuzz]

And how do you know you'll even see the bike again or that it doesn't end up hanging from a tree, a lamp post or in a river? And then the council will charge you a fee to recover it, potentially.

Total loss or obvious damage would be ok since they do include insurance, assuming the insurance pays without drama.

The trouble with carbon is that the damage can be invisible, until a bump is hit or someone applies 1000W and it snaps through.

[AUbicycles]

For Taxis and Hotels it is obvious as these are already run as businesses and setup as easily transferable commodities - minimising vacancy increases income and profit. Service and maintenance of the vehicle and the hotel room is assumed and is standard plus there is also a form of consistency - a Taxi is recognisable and a hotel is a place full of rooms.

It is also why there are bikeshare schemes - this is a fairly logical solution which suggests that people who use it want basic bikes which are recognisable and convenient. Alongside are location basis rentals (e.g. at the beach - for recreation / tourism).

The other alternative was renting sports gear from businesses - for example the high end carbon fiber race wheels for an important race.

In the middle I forsee a lot of challenges from demand to logistics (organisation) to mechanical integrity and damage of the gear. The approach would be to identify the right niches and see where there is demand for types of bikes which people want for certain situations - but I continually see this as a service where the business owns and rents the gear.