Eyes on Milwaukee
Bike Sharing for Low-Income Riders
Bublr Bikes and city win grant to help build a truly inclusive system.
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Bublr Bikes and city win grant to help build a truly inclusive system. Back to the full article.
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At $3 for a single ride, any local would be much better off picking up a used bike on Craigslist. Even with the 90% discount for the annual pass it still doesn’t make much financial sense. With a bit of bike repair education, wouldn’t people be better off in the long run and be more likely to bike if they picked up a $25 bike on Craigslist and had one of their own?
I see these bike share programs as great for tourists and that unanticipated need situation, but not as ones daily vehicle.
Kudos to Bublr for their tireless effort to create an inclusive and affordable new transit network in Milwaukee.
So happy to see this service available in the neighborhood.
Most lower income people do not have a space where they can securely store the $25 bike that they may find at a yardsale or on Craig’s list. They are also unlikely to have access to the tools and experience necessary to repair or maintain the vehicle. $8 for a year of bicycle use without responsibility for maintenance is a windfall for intercity residents.
Tourists needs are different. They generally have the cash to rent a bike, one with all the bells and whistles.
Dream Bikes, you rock!
@Ron – The single ride price is only if you don’t have a membership. If you have a membership the ride is free.
So a HACM resident would pay $8 for an unlimited number of rides over a year. Anyone else pay $80 for a year, or $15 month.
A $25 Craigslist bike can’t compare to that. You have to maintain it, buy a lock and lose the flexibility to take one way trips.
Nice article, Jeramey. I also shamelessly invite folks to check out my master’s thesis report re: equitable bikeshare where I attempted to explore the perceptions of biking and bike sharing in Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.
http://dc.uwm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1881&context=etd
What is the senior rate?