Malcolm McCracken
2017 saw the introduction of the ONZO dockless bikes to Auckland. The yellow single-speed bikes with airless tyres have been a success, with the company having expanded once already and in a recent Facebook announcement, they revealed they would be investing in better bikes (likely with gears and possibly electric-assist) and electric scooters. The dockless system works off the user downloading the ONZO app and scanning a QR code on the bike. This remotely unlocks the bike and starts charging the user. The current price is 25 cents per 15 minutes. This allows dockless systems to have a further reach than the more traditional docked systems seen in London and Paris. The trouble with dockless systems is that the bikes can be left literally anywhere and cities across the world have struggled to manage this issue. However, a recent CityLab article highlighted that in Minneapolis they are beginning to implement a hybrid model between dockless and docked bikes.
In an attempt to stop the dockless bikes cluttering sidewalks, ‘Virtual Hubs’ essentially provide a dedicated parking space for the bikes using just tape and signage along with the in-app GPS to designate parking or adding decals to existing bike racks. This is monitored via the GPS on the bikes and users who do not return them to the ‘Virtual Hub’ can be fined or banned.
“Upholding expectations about the right of way was what attracted us to this virtual station approach,” says Joshua Johnson, the mobility manager at the city’s Department of Public Works. “It will allow for the benefits of rapidly expanding access without having the disorderliness or chaos that’s associated with the free-floating systems. We’re trying to get people out of cars and on bikes by making a transportation system. That means making sure it happens with us and for us, not to us.” “It’s going to be the best of both worlds: We get the organization and the maintenance but we also get the ubiquity of bikes everywhere.”
Introducing these ‘Virtual Hubs’ to Auckland could help in our urban centres where ONZO bikes are often left in the middle footpaths, blocking pedestrian movements. However, striking the balance of the benefits of docked bikes which removes the street clutter versus dockless which improves accessibility and mobility is the tricky part.
I suggest we only introducce of virtual hubs in the Auckland City Centre, where the highest concentration of ONZOs usually are. This will declutter our pavements leaving them free for pedestrians, while also creating a better, more accessible system for those wanting to use ONZOs, as they will be in easy to find locations. Outside of the City Centre, the bikes can continue to used and left as they are currently. The virtual hubs could be expanded in future to include our bus and rail stations and Metropolitan centres. The same model could be used to manage the new electric scooters that Lime and ONZO are bringing to Auckland as well.
Comment below your thoughts on Virtual Hubs and whether you think they can work here in Auckland. They may also be needed in Wellington and Christchurch as numbers of dockless bikes and scooters increase there too.