We are all familiar with it. We get a phone call. “I will be in Nyon in 20 minutes, do you want to meet”. We think, duck, that’s short notice. Do we take the bike? No, because we don’t want to leave it unattended. Do we take the car? No, because then we’d pay for the parking. Do we walk? No, because the meeting is in ten minutes and the walk will take 30 minutes. do we run? No, because then we’ll be hot and sweaty and clothes might smell.
Yesterday I finally tested Publibike after years of considering these bikes. There is a paradox. I think nothing of spending three francs, for a coke, rivella, hot chocolate or coffee but the idea of paying 3 CHF to use a bike for a six minute ride is disturbing. I didn’t pay for six minutes, because that was my first ride. I paid 3 CHF for 11 minutes.
When you compare it to the price of a coffee or a coke, or a can of redbull from a vending machine the price is reasonable. It’s when you compare it to the price of walking, free, and the bus, 60 centimes less, that it seems expensive. If it was two francs for half an hour it would be an excellent price point because it would be cheaper than the bus.