Dublin Bikes
It's been a few weeks since "dublinbikes", Dublin's new bicycle rental scheme, arrived on the capital's streets. Beginning on 13 September, the distinctive grey and blue bikes have subsequently become a familiar sight on Dublin streets.
JCDecaux, the French advertising company funding and operating the scheme in exchange for prime locations for their billboards, have proclaimed it as a success, with plans already being drawn up to extend the network, which currently consists of 40 stations where users can pick up or drop off one of the 450 "DBs".
So what are they like to use? We asked the opinion of a member of staff, Joe Langan, AA Vehicle Inspections co-ordinator, who uses a dublinbike in his commute.
"I used to take the bike to school, but like a lot of people, the end of school coincided with the end of my cycling days more or less. Now that I work in town, I take the bus from my home in Ashbourne to Upper O'Connell Street, around 10-15 minutes walk from the AA offices near Grafton Street."
"With the new dublinbikes, I can pick up a bike on Cathal Brugha Street or next to the GPO and cycle down to Exchequer Street or Chatham Street, both quite close to the office. It's cut anything up to 10 minutes from my morning commute and the same coming home, where I can drop off a bike at the Custom House, right across from my bus home at Liberty Hall."
"I have to admit, they're not the prettiest bikes, they have very low gearing so they’re not very fast and I normally wouldn’t choose to cycle a bike with a basket - but they're solid, they're well-lit and they're very easy to pick up and leave back."
"I think Dublin is a safe city to cycle in and a lot of people are scared of cycling here because they'd be nervous cyclists regardless. All that's required is a bit of common sense; avoid coming down on the left of a large vehicle, keep an eye on everyone around you and presume no-one can see you - it's not just motorists who ignore cyclists, pedestrians are pretty bad too!"
"It's great to see impromptu cyclists on the dublinbikes. Office workers like me, just hopping on one in a suit and tie because they need to get from A to B. I've never needed one for more than 30 minutes, so it hasn't cost me a penny since I bought the card, despite racking up over 3 hours of journeys in my first two weeks."
"I hope the scheme is extended and brought to areas outside the canals. One disadvantage of the scheme is that it there isn’t a bike station at Heuston train station. I also find a lot of people hanging around the machines, hoping someone will show them what to do. It’s a bit odd that they’ve decided to only equip half of the stations with credit card facilities, so you can’t sign up for a 3-day card in half of them."
"It was a pity they couldn’t have had the scheme going for the summer. I hope I can keep it up during the winter months - no matter what the bike, it’s no fun cycling in the rain!"
How do I sign-up?
For a €10 Long Term Hire Card, valid for one year, create an account on www.dublinbikes.ie and you'll receive a card within 2 weeks. If you just want to try the bikes, you can get a 3-day card for €2 from one of the bike stations with credit card facilities. Laser and other debit cards are currently not accepted.
How do I rent a bike?
If you have a Long Term Hire Card, just hold it up to the reader on the terminal at the bike station. The machine will ask for your PIN, once you enter that, you’re given 5 options. The first option is to "Take a db", select that and it will show you a list of available bikes at the station. Tap in the bike stand number you want and the machine will tell you to go to that stand and press the unlock button on it (this must be done within 15 seconds). Once you press "unlock" on the stand, you'll hear a click.
Simply pull away the bike (within 5 seconds), make sure the tyres and brakes are in working order, get the saddle to your height (you should be able to reach the ground with your feet on both sides) and cycle away.
How do I return a bike?
Just find any available stand, push the bike in to meet the lock on the stand and you’ll see the button on the stand light up green. Once you see this and hear two beeps, it’s locked and you can walk away.
What does it cost?
After you’ve paid €10 for the Long Term card or €2 for the 3-day card, you can use the bikes for up to 30 minutes at no extra charge. But if you spend longer on the bike, you are charged. One hour is 50c, 2 hours is €1.50, 3 hours is €3.50 and 4 hours is €6.50. Every half-hour after that is €2.
The charges are kept small to encourage use but increase hour-after-hour to ensure that bikes are returned and used regularly.