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OYBike
(SELF SERVICE SCHEMES)
An automated on-street cycle hire system, first piloted in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough of London (2004) and more recently it has been rolled out in parts of other UK cities and also some Chicago university campuses, USA.
Bikes are parked to, and rented from, the electronic lock, which is controlled through a keyboard and LCD display. The locking station holds the cable secure until that bicycle is rented out. Once registered, users can borrow (release) and return a bike by entering one of two unique codes, which are sent as texts to their mobile phone when they call the number shown at the rental station. The user’s phone receives a pin number to unlock the bike at the start of a journey and a second one to lock it at the end. This also determines the time rented and how much the rider is charged. Users pay an initial fee of £10 (annual) and then are then charged based on usage.
The electronic locks are mounted on standard U-stand bicycle parking furniure – either stands already installed on a street, or new ones installed with the system, without the need for any IT or physical infrastructure. Up to 3 bikes can be parked per OYBike parking station. The Hammersmith pilot introduced 25 locations and approximately 50 bikes.
Facility
On-street bicycle hire by means of automated locks that are mounted on standard U-stand bicycle parking furniure, with rental and return of bicycles via user’s mobile phones.
Provider
OYBike Systems Ltd.
Suite No 1, 2nd Floor, AMC House, 12 Cumberland Avenue,
London NW10 7QL
Tel : 0845 226 5751
Email : info@oybike.com
Designer / Architect
Bernie Hanning, OYBike Systems Ltd.
Supplier / Manufacturer of System Equipment
Bikes, software and components supplied by OY Bike Systems Ltd.
Secure electronic locks supplied to OYBike by Homeport.
Cost of Provision
Approximately £500 (€625) per station installed (2-3 cycles), plus bike costs (which vary with quantity required).
100 bike system – capital approximately £63,000 (€79,000)
Approximate ongoing costs of £25 (€32) per bike/ month.
Strengths
• Easy to install using existing U-stands
• Stations can be moved as necessary according to patterns of demand
• Lower start-up costs for small schemes, than many other 3G city bike systems
• Increases U-stand capacity (up to 3 OYBikes per station/side)
• No installation of shelter or enclosure required to issue or store the bikes
• No infrastructure or public works requirement
• Bikes available 24/7 and 365 days per year
Weaknesses
• Slightly over-complicated rental process, compared to RFID card-based 3G bike systems
• Issues with distribution of bikes at peak periods
• Issues with limited usefulness where the scheme is only set up in small pockets and does not serve wider areas
• Interface and design of current docking stations is not ideally suited to the OYBike rental process
• To some, the bike designs are unattractive or not modern enough
• Issues with vulnerability of some components of the bike
Useful References
www.oybike.com
www.homeport.info
www.taridigital.com
www.youtube.com
