Black Market Bikeshare

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) released a statement recently condemning what it calls "Rogue Bike Sharing Services," saying that "fly-by-night operations put the public at risk." They complain that these systems aren't integrated enough with city transit and that they may provide low quality bikes. The organization voiced worries that, rather than supporting bike transit for the long term, these organizations were just looking for a buy-out in order to turn a quick profit.

But there are dissenting voices."When spared the expensive docking stations, the argument goes, cities can instead devote their money to bike infrastructure, in the end getting more riders access to cycling at a cheaper cost," Kelsey E. Thomas writes for Next City.  

If these bike share companies are out to make a quick buck and that gives a few people the opportunity to ride a bike rather than walk or drive, the outcome isn’t all that bad. Further, these organizations are exploring a new model. Spin in Austin uses a system without docking stations.NACTO cares, but maybe we shouldn't.