Thursday, August 7, 2014

Bait-and-Switch Bikes

"You can buy a 24-hour pass for $8 as part of Indy's new Pacers Bikeshare program and get unlimited use of a bike for 24 hours.

"But there's a catch. If you don't check the bike in every 30 minutes at one of 25 stations dotted along the Cultural Trail, that $8 bill will skyrocket to $194 for 24 hours."

This Indianapolis Observer is appalled. Who rides a bike, stopping along the Cultural Trail for less than a half-hour at a time? That's not enough time to browse in the Kurt Vonnegut Museum or savor a coffee at Starbucks or shop at Circle Center Mall or make a trip to the library.

What idiot/ approved this get-rich-quick scheme?

UPDATE:

More reasons to avoid the Bikeshare program are outlined here:
http://www.ogdenonpolitics.com/2014/08/indianapolis-bikeshare-agreement-leaves.html

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You don't have to stop for less than a half hour at a time. You have to check the bike into the kiosk within 30 minutes once you check it out. That means you can bike somewhere that's less than 30 minutes away, check the bike in, hang out for as long as you want, then get a bike out again, rinse, repeat.

I don't disagree that it's confusing. I read the rules several times and had to have my husband explain it to me before I understood. And, to be clear, I've never tried the program because I think $8 is still a bit high unless I plan to use the bike all day. But how you've explained it is incorrect, at least to my understanding.