Christchurch Public Bike Share

Christchurch Public Bike Share

Project 2014-10-16 15:05:51 +1300

Christchurch Bike Share is now live - visit sparkbikes.co.nz to sign-up and use the bikes

Do you want an easy, fun, and free way to explore Christchurch?

We do!

We think that it's more important than ever to connect locals and visitors to our ever-changing landscape. That's why we're fundraising for a public Bike Share scheme right here, in Christchurch.

Successful cities all around the world have discovered the benefits of public bike share. From London, to Beijing, to Glasgow the idea is another public transport option to help people move easily between businesses, attractions and back again. With a flat and compact layout, Christchurch is an ideal city for public bikes. That, combined with the chance for innovation as we rebuild (and frustration at finding a car park!) have led us to where we are today.

We need to fundraise the for the technical costs (like the leasing requirements + actual installation of the bikes) to get the Bike Share on the pavement (so to speak!). We have a branding partner who will fund the operating costs if we can crowd fund these initial set-up costs.

How does this all work?

The Christchurch public Bike Share scheme is a two year pilot which will see bike share stations placed in key locations around the Christchurch CBD.

Using a bike is as easy as arriving at a bike station, logging in (after having pre-registered) with your cellphone number and picking up a bike, that comes complete with its own helmet and combination lock. Riders pre register via the web with their phone number and credit card (for security). There is a one off $4 registration charge.

We are focussed on allowing everyone to easily get between key sites, explore the city and support local businesses - and the Bike Share scheme is a world-class way of achieving that.

Every trip under 30 minutes will be free and you can make multiple trips a day.

Sounds great? Yeah, we think so too.

But, what do we need to do?

One last hurdle remains! We need to raise the remaining funds to get these bikes on the streets. This means, we need to fundraise $45,000 for the technical costs of implementing the Bike Share system.

What will the money be used for?

For this pilot we are going to lease the bikes, stations and equipment from Nextbike NZ. Nextbike is a provider of bike sharing systems in many cities around the world.

The latest-generation bikes will allow you, as a supporter, free access to the world-class transport system – that we believe should form a key component of the Christchurch public transport mix moving forward.

Initially, with the funding raised, we’ll build three or four bike stations, with six to ten bikes at each station. The great thing about the crowd funding campaign is if we exceed our funding goal of $45,000, then we will use that money to increase the number of bikes and stations in the pilot - so it's a win-win!

Think that Bike Share is a great idea? Awesome. Now, what do we need from you to make it a reality?

We’d love any support that you can give us. That may be $5 or it may be $100. Every little bit counts, and if you’re in favour of seeing this pilot get underway in Christchurch, we’d appreciate whatever you can afford to give us.

And, not to be greedy, but we’d also love it if you could share our story with other like-minded people. To easily send this page to a friend use the share buttons at the top of this page.

But, if you’re not yet convinced, have a look at what’s in it for you…

What do you get for backing the project?

If you support the Bike Share Crowd Funding project, there are some great rewards available to you – including exclusive memberships that give you extended riding time and early access. These memberships will only be available during the pledgeme campaign.

Theres also some great options for local businesses to purchase memberships and give their staff extended riding. If you're interested, check out the details below – we’d love to have your support!

There are also additional rewards thanks to Spark, Ontrack Cycle Gear, Treadlie Magazine and Pepe’s Mexican Grill.

Corporate pledges

We’re looking for great Christchurch businesses who want to back the project and give their staff extended access to the Bike Share system. We have a range of exclusive memberships depending on the number of employees.

And, if pledging is a bit hard to get past the bean counters, we can also issue an invoice and manually add these funds to the campaign. Just get in touch with us directly if this option is more appealing to your company and we’ll take it from there.

When will this all happen?

We're committed to getting the Bike Share system in the CBD as quickly as possible – which means that, as soon as the Crowd Funding campaign has concluded, we’ll be leaping into action to get the bikes and stations to Christchurch.

Basically, the sooner we meet the $45,000 target, the sooner we can bring the Bike Share to Christchurch!

Where will the stations be?

We've identified a number of potential locations in the central city. In the coming weeks we will be confirming locations and working on installation requirements. The initial target is 3-4 stations in the central city. We'd love to hear your ideas of where you think a Bike Share station should go. Everyone who pledges will be get to vote on their preferences for station locations

Frequently Asked Questions:

What about helmets? - We will be using the nextbike system. This is the only bike share system to successfuly include helmets with every bike. The helmet is released with the bike. These helmets are designed for bike rental, fit a full range of head sizes, and are frequently serviced. More information can be found here

Won't the bikes just get stolen? - Public bike systems are designed to prevent theft. To use the bikes you must register with a credit card for security. If for some reason a bike goes missing then these are tracked. Globally thefts from bike share are very low.  

Why dont we just buy lots of cheap bikes? - Bike share bikes are custom made for the purpose. The bikes are only part of the funding requirements which includes the stations, racks, and any electronics. Leasing the bikes for this project is the most cost effective way to implement a pilot system. The crowd funding campaign is the total cost of the campaign, it includes bikes and stations, as well as campaign fees and rewards.

Didn't this fail in Australia? - The Australian schemes have not failed, but most people point to the helmet laws as being a problem. The actual problem is not the helmet law, but those cities selecting systems that do not include helmets (an obvious problem!). These cities then tried hap-hazard approaches to including helmets. We will be using the only system that has successfully included helmets with every bike. Its aleady in use in Auckland with 1000's of riders.

Do I pay if the project doesn't reach the target? - Firstly, with your help we are definitly going to reach the target! Pledges (corporate and individual) are processed the day after the campaign closes, and only if it reaches the target.

Supported By:

For more information and corporate pledge options contact:

Robert Henderson - Project manager

027 467 6669

Fine print

*Riders (including supporters/members) will need to register first. A $4 registration fee will apply and charges will apply if you take the bike past the free period – the idea is to do free short trips and keep the bikes available for others. Nextbike terms and conditions will apply to all riders. Pledgers should check these terms and conditions do not prohibit them from using the bike share system.

Some pledge rewards include an entry to win one of two Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini’s and/or one year subscriptions to Treadlie Magazine. Winners will be randomly selected from a pool of all eligible pledgers at the conclusion of the pledgeme campaign. The prize(s) will still be issued regardless of whether the campaign reaches its funding target. Winners will be contacted via contact details provided on pledgeme. If no details, or incorrect details, have been provided and we cannot contact the winner then the prize will be redrawn. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini prize(s) consist of a device and a simcard. The prize does not include any credit or plans with a mobile carrier.

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