CityCycle Research... Getting to know the product.

 Getting to know CityCycle

 

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So the first thing anyone does when tasked with a new project, find out as much as you can about it. It the internet and see what CityCycle have to say about themselves?

The first thing I noticed is how difficult it was to navigate the website... Just wanting to find out 'how' the subscription system works is quite misleading and there are 3 layers of webpage to click through before you are eventually presenting with a pricing structure!

Once you find your way to the usage pricing, do make sure your sitting down before you read it!

 This was honestly (from someone who's never looked into using the scheme) like being hit in the face with a mallet!

Okay, so 30mins free.. fine, however I've actually seen people take 5minutes to actually redock the bikes with many many swear words!

Looking more closely at the pricing structure, the exponential rise in cost to a 24hour rental cost of $165 is staggering!!!!! It's not until you read the fine(ish) print on the website that you also notice there is a fine incurred for not returning the bike within the 24 hour period.

"A security deposit of $330 will only be debited if you fail to comply with the Terms and Conditions of CityCycle or if a bike is not returned within 24 hours."

Assuming you live far away or at least an unrealistic distance from the nearest cycle dock and the temptation is to keep it safe overnight and return it in the morning at the place or work, study etc... then you are slogged with $330 fine + $165 for the bicycle hire (not yet seen if it keeps counting after 24hours). That is a whopping $495 for a 24hour period!

Lets do a quick cost comparison of this service.

24 hire period.

CityCycle (not including fine) = $165
Budget car hire, Toyota Yaris = $52.55
Return flights to Sydney = $79 (special deal) Jetstar at time of writing.

Okay, so it's fair to say that it's expensive for anything past 90 minutes of hire. At 91 minutes you can catch a bus to almost anywhere in Brisbane and even a Train most of the way to the Gold Coast. 

So why would you hire a bike for more than an hour and a half? To meet someone for lunch on the other side of town? To go shopping? A business meeting? I can think of many reasons why I would have a bike longer than 90 minutes. 

Once you reach 5 hours of hire, you can get a car for 24 hours and park it all day in the city for the same price as hiring a CityCycle. So cost effectiveness for the Business man/woman wanting to do the right thing by the environment is clearly not the target audience for this scheme. So who would it benefit?

Students? Tourists? Residents who live in the inner CBD?

So I tried to interview some of these demographics.

Students and CBD Workers- I've been asked not to share names in the report, and for this reason they will be kept anonymous, however the resulted questions got these responses;

Do you use CityCycle?

If YES, why?

Male Person 1 - "I only use it when I'm running late for class or I'm coming from a friends house in west end".  When quizzed why only when running late? the response was, "Because I only live in Festival towers a few streets away, it's easier to walk than to hire the bike".

Male Person 2 - "I've only used it a couple of times ".  When quizzed why not more often? the response was, " because none of my friends use it and I walk to university with them".

Female Person 3 - "I use it twice a week? maybe?","It's only when I'm coming to university. There is a parking station near the bridge so I park it there. I use the free city bus more often".

If NO, why?

Male Person 1 - "I don't use the bike, probably never will either". When quizzed why? the response was, "Because you look like an 'effin idiot on them"....  I cut the interview there...

Female Person 2 - "I live on the Gold Coast...", When quizzed would you use it during work hours in the city? the response was, "No... It's easier to walk into the mall to eat, I'm only a couple of streets away anyway."

Female Person 3 - "Isn't it really expensive to sign up?", I informed the lady of the current pricing structure, she laughed and continued walking away....

Male Person 4 - "No I don't use it. I'm not carrying a helmet everywhere and I certainly won't use a share helmet!"

Problem: 

• Price too high for some.
• Not practical to those living outside of the CBD.
• Sharing and carrying helmets

Solutions: 

• Look into how to make CityCycle competitive with other services. 
• Nothing can be done with those outside the target capture demographic. 
• Issue a helmet with subscription? Give them somewhere to store it too?

So much for interviewing people there then. So what did I find out.. People in the city don't find the benefit of the bikes outweigh the distance they have to walk from their average point to point locals.

I tried to interview some tourists using them... sadly there weren't any. And after 2 hours watching the CityCycle docking bay at the University (from the student bar vantage point). There was very little citycycle activity at all.

I feel at this point robbed of my Tuesday night and decided to go home and interview some friends and family. Perhaps from a family viewpoint, with children... were they likely to want to use the service and would the pay the price for it?

My family response was naturally as expected, but the reason I got wasn't.

The interesting discussion revolved around the size of the bike and the fact that there was no way of securing my niece and nephew to the bike securely? I hadn't noticed before, but there aren't any bikes with child seats?!?!?! Surely this must be an oversight?!

Problem: No Child Seats!!!

Solution: Child Seats!!!