Thursday, January 11, 2018

Bike stolen at Docklands. Goodbye old friend. - TrackR attached.

For those who have been following my Free Bike Share posts you'll know I've been testing leaving a bike in the city for future sharing with family and friends.

Part of this testing was to see if the bike would get damaged or stolen. Somewhere between the 26th of December and the 2nd of January the bike was stolen. If anyone knows or sees the bike please let me know.


The bike does have a Trackr module on it, so it may still turn up. Last time I put in a crowd locate request with the Trackr software it took 21 days. We can only wait and see.

The outcome for this testing has been quite good so even though it cost a bike, it's probably been worth it. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts in case it helps others.

1. The software I wrote (https://www.freebikesharemelbourne.com.au) for sharing bikes does a reasonable job for my needs and potentially the needs of a few small groups.

2. Personally a bike in the city for a couple of people isn't much use.

3. The free trams in the city means there's little need for a bike around the city.

4. If you've taken public transport to get to and from the city, you've probably paid the maximum for the day on Myki, so all other travel would effectively be free. This meaning a bike in the city won't save anything.

5. Having a bike close to the city so you can ride to and from the free tram zone was one unexpected good use of a bike. In this case I shared a car ride to and from near the city and use a bike for last section to the city. There was thus no public transport cost.

6. The tyres did go flat, so maintenance of the bike is required to ensure it is usable.

7. The bike lasted around three months in the city before being stolen.

8. One thought is that perhaps because of the huge crowd in the city around New Year that perhaps this wasn't the best time to have the bike in the city. However, given public transport can be difficult and taxis/Uber expensive at that time, it also makes it the best time to have the lower free bike option available.

Losing the bike is a bit of a disappointment, but it should be remembered this was part of the test. The bike lived at three places around the Docklands for around three months without a problem. The cost to repair the bike, lock, etc. was probably less than $20, so it didn't cost much to have the bike available in the city.

This is perhaps not the end of the Free Bike Sharing Melbourne project trial as I've already potentially been offered another old bike to use. Once this bike is ready for use I'll write another post.

Kelvin Eldridge
Free Bike Share Melbourne

Update: 12 January 2018
One person asked me where the bike was parked. The bike was locked up on the centre hoop. The location was the Docklands on the corner of Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street, Melbourne. The bike is not in the picture as the picture was taken after the bike was stolen.


Update: 21 May 2018
This bike has never been located again by another TrackR user. TrackR has failed to assist in recovering the bike.

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