Bike share schemes have become a key component of transport systems in many cities around the world over the last 15 years. Public rental bikes fill gaps in the public transport network, provide ‘last mile’ accessibility, encourage people to try cycling, reduce car use and showcase a city to visitors.
However, the road to a successful and sustainable system, one benefits the whole community, can be bumpy!
Bicycle NSW volunteer Harrison Lo is a recent Macquarie University Bachelor of Planning graduate. He is from Hong Kong and has great insights into what is needed to keep a dense and growing city moving.
Harrison has shared some thoughts about the potential of share bikes following a trip to Taiwan.
Share bikes are everywhere
When I visited Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, I grabbed the chance to use the public bike system, YouBike. I searched for the nearest the rental station through the app. With over 1,300 docking stations in each city, I didn’t have to go far!
YouBike is Taiwan’s most popular bike sharing system, in a country that is known for its bike culture. It started out as the Taipei Bike Sharing System in 2009 but gradually spread throughout the country, replacing other local operations. YouBikes are made by Giant, a Taiwanese company that makes 6.6 million bikes a year - more than any other manufacturer in the world (Image: Bubble Tea Island)
Renting was simple as my friend had an EasyCard, a popular reloadable smartcard that everyone uses to pay for transport and many other services. Without an EasyCard, visitors are required to register a credit card with a NT$2000-3000 bond. To pick up a bike, users have to register through the app, scan the bike’s QR code, and tap the EasyCard or registered credit card at the rental station when they start and end the journey.
A YouBike trip is an essential Taiwan experience – and it’s very affordable
For a scenic ride along the Qijin Coastal Park for 30-60 minutes, I paid NT$20 (about AU$1)! Hiring a YouBike is cheaper than public transport and driving. And it’s much more fun and convenient. In Taipei and Kaohsiung, many trips are within 3-5 km which is perfect for cycling. There are also many long walking and biking trails along the parks and promenades, providing access to all the most interesting parts of the city.
The newly renovated pathway at Taipei’s Yanping Riverside Park near Dadaocheng. Great at sunset! There are many famous cultural attractions in the surrounding area, such as Dihua Street, Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple, Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum. Excellent maps of the riverside bike trails can be found here
(Image: Taipei Urbanism)
Users are required to start and end a bike trip in the designated spots. However, these are well distributed. Most of them are at the major destinations for the community including public transport nodes, residential areas, promenade, shops, etc. There is one kiosk or docking station in every 50-100 m in densely populated area. In the lower density areas, there is one per 100 metres.
Fixed docking stations are very densely located in central Taipei! Check out the map here. (Image: YouBike)
The advantage of having designated parking spots is that it eliminates the illegal parking problem. If bikes are not left in the right place, users will get a hefty fine. The bike is integrated in the transport system charging mechanisms. YouBikes cost NT$10 per 30 minutes and members can enjoy a 30-minute free ride with a new government subsidy. There is a transfer discount for riders connecting with public transport. A monthly bike pass, a seniors’ card and a charity card are included in the bike system.
Effectiveness of the Taiwanese bike system
There are some great statistics on the power of YouBike to shift travel choices.
In Taiwan, approximately 31.2% of YouBike users switched from motorbike and 4.4% transitioned from private car.
In Taipei, there has been a 35.97% / 34.6% / 8.72% / 6.81% shift from trips by bus, walking, private car and motorcycle respectively. 60% of the trips are now taken by active and public transport. This has happened because Taipei has a compact-urban form with a population density of 9,900 people per km. Of course, it helps that YouBikes and other forms of bike riding are much cheaper than driving and public transport. It costs a commuter NT$20 for a 5 km trip in metro and bus service which more expensive than cycling.
In other parts of Taiwan, however, the population density is lower so there is higher car dependency.
The implications for Sydney
There is a lot that Sydney can learn from Taiwan and other Asian cities with very successful bike share systems.
Although Sydney has sprawled and its density is fairly low, a very high number of car trips are very short. In fact, in 2021, around 62% of trips to work under 5 km were made by car. More than two million daily car trips are less than 2 km. These should be low-hanging targets for shifting to bikes.
My list of recommendations is as follows:
- Users are required to return the bike to a designated station in high density areas such as Sydney CBD, Rhodes and Wentworth Point.
- The government should introduce the bike parking spots at the kerbside in car parking spaces, in low-usage bike parking facilities, on vacant land, and on other underutilised spaces. These should be distributed every 50-70 metres near major destinations. Although this might be a bit ambitious for Sydney!
- The bike sharing system should be expanded to other high-density areas with a good bike network: North Sydney, Ryde, Inner West, Parramatta, Olympic Park, Canada Bay.
- The bike sharing system should include 30 minutes free for members as well as full integration into the Opal system.
- The bike sharing system should require ID registration for long term members and bonds for short term members to reduce vandalism.
- Government funding and subsidy is needed. Governments should recognise that bike share is a valuable and important part of a transport network.
Bicycle NSW will include Harrison’s recommendations for the share bikes in our submission for the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the use of e-scooters, e-bikes and related mobility options.
All the details and the Terms of Reference can be found on the NSW Parliament website.
Before you pedal away…
Bicycle NSW is working with stakeholders from all levels of government to inform and influence policy on e-mobility. Our campaign page has recent articles, submissions and links.
There are many topics under the spotlight at the moment – including battery safety, rider behaviour and education, road rules, import standards and commercial bike riding.
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Explore nature, history and cultural beauty of Taiwan while riding on theTamsui Riverside trail, north of Taipei. Taiwan offers some fantastic routes that showcase the country on two wheels.
Get inspired here (Image: Sports in Cycling)
