Bikeshareing on the way as Davidson Vbikes remain a mystery

aShortChronicle told readers previously about the sationless bikeshare operations that have recently flooded downtown Charlotte.  In fact, a new "yellow" bike has shown up by the hundreds since that original post.

The below photos are all taken from the 7th Street Station area around the Blue Line light rail stop.  They are from a Chinese company called Ofo.

So, while bikes are popping up all over Uptown like mushrooms after a spring rain, the 3 bikeshare units from a company called Vbikes remain the only three seen in Davidson.  aShortChronicle has been keeping an eye on these since the first post and finally got around to asking about them.

According to a phone call to Vbikes which is based in Texas, the company doesn't have any current partners in North Carolina, but there was a pilot done in Charlotte some time ago.  That would explain how the bikes got to the general area, but not to Davidson itself.  One of these bikes has been sitting in front of the defunct Healthy Home Market for weeks.  The others have been seen in the Circles@30 area, most recently in front of the Lyndon Apartments.  These two have also been shown around town over recent weeks in the Vbso someone must be using them.

In from of old
Healthy Home Market

In front of the Lyndon Appartments

aShortChronicle checked with the Town to see if there might be some sort of effort in the works via Town Hall or if a permit had been requested.  According to a reaponse from Christina Shaul that does not appear to be the case.  The Lyndon isn't sponspring them yhough yhey do have two bikes available for sharing with residents, Also, the Vbikes aren't being managed by Davidson College.  So, for now who (if anyone) is managing Davidson's nascent Vbike operation remains a mystery.

However, that doesn't mean the concept of bikesharing isn't on the radar here locally.  According to Shaul, bikesharing will likely be discussed as part of the Mobility Plan that is just getting underway.

Something more immediate is also in the works at Davidson College.  According to Yancey Fouche with the College, "the College is working towards a soft launch of bikeshare this spring with a third-party vendor. We are still in the due diligence period to iron out some logistical questions and finalize the agreement, but hopeful that bikes might be in place for students’ return from spring break in mid-March. We and the vendor will review and discuss the program’s performance over the summer to inform any changes or improvements needed for students’ return in fall."

The idea is that this will help address the transportation needs of the 50% of College students who dont have access to a car and reduce the need for students to have to transpprt their own bikes to/from home each year.

Fouche goes on to say "the bikeshare launch this spring is intended to support Davidson College students, faculty and staff. The Town and collaborators on the Mobility plan will watch our program to consider the possibility of expansion beyond the College, and to provide feedback on successes or concerns when bikes leave campus property. The bikes will have a vendor phone number on them as the best point of contact for specific questions and concerns. The company will maintain a team to help “rebalance” (move bikes from less-popular to more desirable locations) and respond to any issues. The success of the program will rest entirely on its users – the bikes and related IT platform are incredibly sophisticated and generate loads of data that will help the vendor to respond to transportation trends, problems with bikes, and plan for future improvements. We will do all we can on campus to get the word out about the program and responsible use, including appropriate bike parking. I am very curious to see whether campus chooses to use the bikes at a high level and whether they focus their rides on campus or venture into the “Bronze Bicycle-Friendly Community” of Davidson!"

So, there you have it.  More Bikesharing will become some sort of reality in Davidson relatively soon even as the current Vbike operation remains a mystery.  Here's hoping it is a more tightly managed operation than what Charlotte has allowed in Uptown, but it will