 |
 |
In a nation where owning products to perform and occasional service has been the norm, is the UK suddenly realising the benefits of services and sharing? A new, and perhaps a world first of its type, bicycle sharing scheme of has just started in London. I am not referring to the Boris Bikes, sponsored by Barclays, which will be like other bike-sharing schemes around the world, once the teething problems have been sorted out... but a second scheme in London called Byke. http://byke.mobi/ is a website, designed to be accessed mainly via a mobile phone that allows those in London with a spare bicycle to rent it out to fellow members of the scheme. As a full day’s hire from the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme costs £50, hiring a bicycle through Byke at £3.50 a day, with bicycles situated throughout the British capital, is perhaps more attractive to some. The rental fee is split between the owner of the site and the bicycle owner and a deposit of £100 is taken before the bicycle is rented out. Are we likely to see more entrepreneurs entering the sharing and/or cycling industry in the near future? Will they be successful? Meanwhile, the Barclays sponsored scheme has, in the second half of its first week, increased bike use to 1.5 hires per bike a day – which would have been higher had it been possible to become a casual daily member as in Paris and elsewhere. TfL and Bixi are working on this and other problems... Ian