CaBisCrap2017
Introduction/Definition/etc
Capital BikeShare, the little red rental bicycles in and out of Docking Stations
around the metro area, has some issues, many I've experienced, with a community
program that allows for lower income people to rent them, but gotcha's, sweating,
and seems like just plain exploitation possibilities, too...
Body
Some issues with the Bike Shares in now the DC Metro area:
Elitist, Rich and Tourists Only
Some of what goes on when something is new, but so many questions about it,
likely during your rental clock time running, so don't really want to hang around
and answer questions on the clock, to strangers who might be trying to take it from you,
steal your stuff, just gassing, harassing, touristy direction hell, etc...
Privacy Problems
Signup problems mentioned below, and they log the trips, which data goes God knows
where, aggregate trips may be reported to unfriendly places like ArlBAC20120507
BikersAndDrunks2015 , etc
They may have GPS too, so more detail than just start and stop locations, times ,etc...
Where's a Dock?
SmartPhone with data plan really required to find an available and/or open one,
find existing stations, etc...
You might need a paper map (remember rain, and soggy paper(s)?),
but don't really have those, the county map has some stations noted,
but not all, and they move around a bit, you think there was one somewhere,
only to find out it's not there...
Some are out visible near Metro stations, etc,
but if in South Arlington without MetroRails, it's hit or miss, learn the local stations,
the hour free time (for most it's 1/2 hour) a good exercise to explore
until you have a mental model/map of where they are, maybe using index cards,
notes on maps, and other stuff, to find them (asking strangers generally doesn't help, imho)...
Time It Takes to Ride
First in planning trips and stops, say bank, post office, store1, store2, scenery1, scenery2,
how long does it take to bike there? and then there? and add it up in your head,
don't forget starting up, packing, repacking, stops, people, docking, detours, etc...
Suddenly, you are a cab driver for yourself with a meter running all the time,
when not that way on your own personal bicycle...
Stopping in traffic when just about to go over, or shaving time off a rental trip,
and problems with the rental, not operating safely, v. sitting duck at a stop,
sensors don't pick up bikes, waiting two whole light cycles out in the middle of stuff,
while going to get hit by over 1 thousand pound metal and plastic thing spewing exhaust,
people spitting, gang like threats, etc, and/or robbed, raped, etc...
App, WiFi, etc
So say PrePaidCellPhonesUpGrade2016 and cost got you down, and have a wifi,
expired SmartPhone, find one for $10 on sale, normally $20, and download
SpotCycle or any of the few others, can get a wifi signal nearby, community
center, library, coffee house, McD, (don't know the last two, I don't use them) etc,
You might be able to find the map, have current information and locate a docking station,
but it really requires one with a data plan, in my case costing more than the rentals,
if 1 hour free, and jumping station to station, turning in before the 1 hour, get another,
go the free hour, as some recommended, to keep costs down, etc..
Carry A Lock
Seems counter intuitive, but if having to stop with a rental, and not at a dock,
you can't just leave them lying around (even with a kickstand),
can you take it in a store?, for a quick errand? bike thru, plz?
But people will take them, and/or ask so many questions that it's not worth it,
and the $1200 missing/ lost charges, much less usage fees, hourly, daily, etc
No Place For Water Bottles
Carrying water outside of the regular bicycles water bottle cage is a pain,
it leaks into your other stuff, likely papers and electronics and causes damage,
sogginess, did you pee on it? etc... Inside a bread bag, for those that get a newspaper
delivered, maybe one of those bags, doubled, as might leak, and looks like a dog
poop bag, anyways, think colostomy bag, appearances, but whatever, at least it doesn't
destroy your stuff, right? /GotCha
You Dumb Customer
Never said how to check it out, a group of unknown people broadcasting my personal
information in a room, getting a newish program launched for the Community Partners,
I being early and the first to sign up, with Phoenix and others at the annual picnic,
$5 per year membership fee, add it to your rent payment, can't I pay cash now? instead
of incurring a debt???, and then how to pay the variable monthly charges?
They take care of the $200/ rental security deposit, similar to other non credit card options,
say in Arlington and likely elsewhere Montgomery County?, and the lower annual membership,
almost trail membership rates? but they wanted to train me, when they didn't even know
how to get in and out of the building to the community room, but were supposed
to show, according to another invading and nasty woman in a non profit company shirt,
saying they didn't do it right. Well, there is a trick to checking out a bike, and they were using
security by obscurity, (which doesn't work over time...) you have to leave the key fob
unhanded (seems really stupid with people walking behind you, many around me
young and gang like and predatory...), and use two hands (one on the handlebars,
and the second, likely right since electronics at each bike is on the left
(WARNING: people with disabilities, recently in an accident, older people
with aches and pains, stiffness, soreness, just holding belongings/ bags (good for errands? right?),
etc, beware, they are heavy too, but might be doable, YMMV,
but see a doctor before exercising, try lifting one, get a weight estimate first
(I'm guessing a 40-50 lb bike), buyer beware, don't strain yourself, etc)
to lift the seat up until released from the dock) which is not said anywhere I had seen,
(they put up a video later in a mailing) just jiggling the bike or the latch releases,
maybe a latch type upgrade, since I had used SmartBike the previous contractor,
and the replacing company, CaBi, came in, previous company
members got a year free, but I was not going downtown, like for StreetSense,
and stuff, so not using, not available in Virginia, Alexandria, and other places,
originally just DC, hadn't crossed the border to Arlington yet, and other issues,
so had a black fob, which expired, and didn't continue with it...
Declined a millenial attitude (cheerful but pushy arrogant young blonde?
+assorted nosy others) volunteer/ and/or paid staffer explaining
(read talking down to) how to checkout a bike, seems obvious,
since I just wanted to get away from them, and everyone, like the mostly
white volunteer Santas, elves, etc that descend seasonally
(mostly rich white self righteous do gooders, and some millenial
AmeriCorps troops, imnsho) and take over much less
Phoenix taking all the bicycle curious kids,
and native biking adults can't be apart of it,
when I had done some things with Phoenix, PhoenixBikes
admittedly not much going to DC for work on your own bike,
help others, not paid staff, more peer to peer, TheBikeHouse
(TheBikeHouseCoop2015 updating) much more,
after moving from south alexandria in Fairfax County towards Mt Vernon,
to Arlington and geographically in between
VeloCityBikeCoop,
DownGradingVeloCityCoop2010, BFF10 and maybe part of why they
were there in the first place...
And they had made a mistake with the first key fob they issued me,
were going to batch up the people signing up, and I was first,
so maybe they had to try it and learn the process first?
and was there the first fob floating around, using my checkout and account
information? 'with surprise impersonating/ /id theft like bills heading my way?
Corruption, kickback requests and graft is not unheard of around here,
and there...
Starting out it, it was hit or miss whether I could even check out a bike,
seemed like an account thing, so months of problems mostly not checking out
or stranding me, (add link to getting reduced fare / disabled Metro smart card)
eventually went to the staff person, new to me, and only shows up on site, certain days of the week,
not in the office when check and on time (window smashed?), etc...
you must understand, personnel had changed the person I had contacted by email
about it was moving on,I find out about a week+ later, no trips possible during that time,
(lots of turnover in the underpaid inexperienced, new staffing roles...
there is churn in staff, which normally tries to churn the residents, like widgets,
on a board, just move them around like moving, evicting, absentee landlord,
GamesPublicHousingPlays2010 , SlumLords2013 , etc is nothing)
Place a phone Customer Service call, what she was told to do,
a busy woman too busy to be bothered, with the likes of me,
but used her cell phone instead of office speaker phone,
the first call we could not even hear, likely low cell tower number of bars signal,
and other problems (echoing), standard make noise on line,
we can't hear you call again and start all over,
so we had to hang up and call again, then an attitude guy,
customers are so stupid like attitude, etc...
Very offensive, imnsho, not recalling exactly how at he moment, but a feeling
do they really want/ need customers if that is how we are treated,
but I had a really a bad reaction to him, (where is it written,
where does it say that, anything on your website, etc)
and got the staffer to go out and see if what he was saying
was even correct, or give them an answer, likely wrong and have them call back,
that would have been the third frustrating call on the same thing, after delays and other problems,
of not showing up at start time, the first strike not hearable, second too much attitude
and third, your out, as far as I'm concerned....
Lifting the bicycle seat worked, and they wanted a written apology, published up here,
and eff' that... Get a new job, Buddy
/sarcasm
Stopped Working, Stranding
The norm for a while, and it returned, unknown reason it stopped renting to me,
on a rainy, cold day, rushing trying to get to a late makeup food day,
because of holiday(s), feeling hungry, tired, down, etc anyways,
and hours more to wait after getting soaked in the cold am rain,
and hypothermia risk the previous week, not theoretical, feeling it,
which was why another wet early am pickup wasn't something
I was looking forward to, and vowed to think carefully about,
maybe try the next day after the rain, the warehouse pickup is most days
(but times were not displayed as only the holiday closed, was listed,
afaict, quickly), as opposed to one day a week, set in stone, can't go elsewhere,
so maybe try the evening time a few more hours, and stuck outside,
probably considered loitering given the upscale many times snooty
neighborhood and kids win strollers/joggers and dog park,
on over to migrant day labouring hanging around, to even start...
Missing, Lost, Go Fetch It
Find out the next day, Didn't Tell Me until After the Fact,
they wanted to charge $64 and/or $1200 for a missing bike,
not in the dock, and well, customer, got find it, fetch, little doggie,
you rented it, you are responsible, by contract terms, their snickering
we got you attitude...
And could not rent to go there again, locked out,
I know I put it in a dock, even jiggled it an hour or two later after
wondering why it wasn't allowing another checkout, giving red LED
(+buzzer?) and the clock kept running they blindsidingly say,
they don't have it, and later they send out emails after 3 hours
(but not to me? to someone who only shows up once or twice a week,
and has not forwarded anything directly to me, just verbal thru other people,
"security"/ loudspeaker, abusive and invasive management company),
so why not email customers directly at over the 1 hour free time
for community partner members???) I suggested it to the people there,
staffer, and later when finding it, and had to call again, giving my personal information
to basically anyone in earshot, and got hooded/ attacked while there,
forced to walk/bus there, and kept on hold, basically set up to be attacked
/ sprayed again,...
Links
TBD
Conclusion
Summary of experience or similar
They (CaBi) are a real pain at times, and that is without the general public thinking
(others out) you are a dumb tourist on a girls' bike, sucker born every minute,
in a colour I don't even like, and too poor to afford your own bicycle...
For me, for some trips/ errands, places, there are so many,
where I don't feel safe leaving my personal bikes, with bags,
accessories, and can't bring it in, etc sometimes better than walking
on crushed and very quickly sore feet on a bus and/or rail, sometimes...
And the bus operators are laughing at you "where's your bike?)
for dressing up for but not biking, (one way, multimodal, etc)
when stranded, a transit union and menacing/ abusive type
business and interpersonal relationship with customers,
and the public, in general, indeed... Bus driver seemed to have
heard of/ part of the attack...
Beware of free, there is this cloud overhead,
that you are responsible for an overpriced heavy, proprietary $1200,
and/ or $64 dollars full day when they didn't tell you,
until they figure it out, if they even do, and not financial incentive
why they should, have you seen the legalese on the one sided contract(s?)
with no notice, either way, so big business corporate America putting
our lives (someone has died on bike share, maybe overseas,
I forget the details, but it was in the news, maybe the Guardian?)
and money are risk and nothing you can do about it,
(many lawyers are predatory, and it's a monopoly),
no wonder some places, Paris? France? some time ago,
just threw their bike shares in the river, literally, in protest...
Discussion
A place for feedback on the page presented
Is that pretty red bike I keep seeing something kids can use?
Nope, must be over 16 years old, non transferable,
absentee parent in charge/responsible, etc...
So kind of teasing to keep see them, mostly full docks unused just
sitting there, like a horse not ridden, and you can't use them,
much less taking up public space and that is before mowing,
snow plows gardening, landscaping and other issues,
plus trip and fall over them, to begin with...
How do you keep costs down?
Are you living well under your parents' roof, but subject to dictator like
tyranny (Stalinesque? if you or I read history, saw documentaries,
and knew what that was like?),
So going to college, military, runaway on bicycle(s), etc might be better?
For College you naively seem to think is all partying,
but there are classes, homework, assignments, exams, labs, etc,
lest you fail out a few semesters in, or immediately,
Military there are drill sergeants/ instructors (DI's),
Juvie, think Scared Straight, etc...
So there are some constraints to living a seemingly free as in freedom
and fun filled life, mostly all the other people in the world., rules, laws, contracts, etc...
Even playing real life bicycle Frogger...
With a $1200 threat held over your heads, bashed like
Whack A Mole, at each interaction/ customer service call,
and deluged with questions in use, on the clock...
License
Creative Commons Share and Share Alike, Non Commercial, Non Derivative,
for the whole site's contents unless otherwise explicitly stated
Page History
20170121 Jerry
- Jerry created this page to report on some problems with Corporate America,
- non profit millenial do gooders, nasty paid staff, red rental bicycles, etc...
- To cull links from above and add supporting evidence,
- when I get a chance,
- and let it settle, already a few days after the event,
- and still fuming about it...
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