I noticed these distinctive orange and black bicycles parked nearly everywhere I walked in Paris. Looking closely, I could see that the back wheels were locked to the frames. It turns out that they're part of a bike-sharing company called Mobike. It's similar to the city's Vélib' bike sharing program, but without parking stations. The rental transaction and unlocking are done via smart phone, and the bikes can be parked anywhere. And they were.
People enjoying a Friday evening on the banks of the Seine, with the dome of the Panthéon visible in the distance.
At first it looked as though people were just abandoning their bicycles on the street, but there were too many of them for that to be the case. It wasn't until I enlarged this photo and looked up the name "Mobike" on the internet that I discovered what it's all about.
If it is anything like Melbourne, many of the Mobikes will be found in the Seine.
ReplyDeleteOh,yes, yes, we have just started having them here in St. Louis-- different colors and probably a different name, but same concept. I, too, wonder how many will just be vandalized. But, we did see about 6 people on them the first day that we noticed them, this weekend.
ReplyDeleteJudy
It's such a great idea and so much more convenient than having to get to one of those parking stations.
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar program here in Tempe, Arizona. Most of the bikes, which are a pretty bright yellow, can be seen in the area around Arizona State University, but many are finding their way to other neighborhoods. I’m assuming that’s because more and more people are using them. I have heard complaints that the “waiting to be picked up bikes” are an eyesore, but I disagree. I like seeing them for some reason!
ReplyDeletewe have a bike share program in the city called https://www.rideindego.com. if I lived in the city, they would be my transportation in the nice weather; bad weather calls for the subway.
ReplyDeleteandrew, I'll wager that there are a few in there already.
ReplyDeletejudy, Wikipedia says they're in 200 cities in 15 countries. They're a Chinese company and operate mostly in China. International locations have been coming on line in the past couple of years.
mitch, and they have big, sturdy baskets for carrying stuff.
lynn, I wonder about the "eyesore" thing. I saw these bikes pretty much everywhere, just standing there, not necessarily in bike racks or other designated parking areas.
anne marie, I spent a lot of time in the subway during that weekend. But I'm a train nerd. ;)