jm
Hustlin' Helper
Joined 3 years ago
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Re: Is the Bike Angel, E-Bike System Unfair
It's the "accepted" solution ONLY in NYC, but not applicable in ORD (and maybe other cities). Besides, that is a horribly poor solution for everyone. The problem is we're being charged money to move their ebikes. We're paying Lyft a significant amount of money, and it's diminishing our points earning. The fact that we're all allowing it to continue, to have these combined huge sums of money taken from our pockets while significantly helping Lyft is something we collectively should be working on changing. We should all be pushing for some type of compromise on the eBike fees charged to Bike Angels. This cooperation and unified effort would benefit all the Angels across the system as a whole. Times have changed, ebikes are the predominant bikes out there now, so this should be a number one priority, because we're working for much less points. If we don't work together on this across all the cities, nothing will change, nothing except it will get worse has the manual bikes continue to decrease and go out of service for repairs. If people that have never moved ebikes or scooters before are now moving them because there's not a supply of manual bikes, that is an important change. It cost a lot of money to move these ebikes, the distances aren't always that close. This is a big deal.Re: Is the Bike Angel, E-Bike System Unfair
One one thing is different... people I know that have never moved eBikes, are now and again redistributing ebikes and scooters because of some of the problems with finding the mechanical bikes, damage to the mechanical bikes, and some reasons I can't remember, but it was significant to hear that they have broken down after all these years and have moved any ebike or scooter at all. so if that trend continues, 23% less point in a day for the same amount of work, but much more valuable work for the system, seeing as how popular the ebikes are. Also, if I'm giving up 23% of my points moving e-bikes—which I am—I have to rethink the whole process and stop focusing on the clock or the number of bikes I’m moving. If I’m getting the same amount of points at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many minutes or bikes I’ve moved, because that 23% eats significantly into the profits. The only real difference is that physically, it’s easier to move e-bikes—but you’re not getting as much exercise.Re: Is the Bike Angel, E-Bike System Unfair
Thanks we read your post on the subject. It was good. From what I know, unfortunately, it doesn’t operate like that in Chicago. And remember, Chicago's eBikes can be docked out of station, anywhere. Sometimes left in locations, that due to the road configurations, take a great many minutes to return to a station. Which means the fees will easily surpass the points earned. The eBike can sit there for days. Same with the scooters which are even more expensive. Chicago's lakefront is a no scooter zone, and because the scooters are automatically disabled near the lakefront paths, and people often push deep into the no-go zones despite the reduced power, many scooters are finally abandone deep in the no-go zones without power. So, we have to push them out with difficulty to an area outside the no-go zone. There are many scooters abandon this way. Maybe Lyft knows what they're doing, they have all the statistics they need, but in Chicago, we see a lot of the same e-Bikes left around for days. ThanksRe: chicago end of year finishes
6,200 pts in a month is a lot for Chicago, but the total number of points, rides and streak are far below the top riders. But... I move a lot of e-Bikes, often spending time hunting them down. And while that eats up time, it also subtracts 23% of my points in a day. So, if I show big monthly numbers, or top the list, in reality, with the 23% subtracted, those are in line with the other top riders.Is the Bike Angel, E-Bike System Unfair
Is the Bike Angel, E-Bike System Unfair - It's not really a question, because it is... unfair If you’ve looked at the MoreBikes NYC stats, you’ll see eBikes dominate usage in New York, which means eBikes need to be redistributed the most. https://www.morebikes.nyc/daily_stats/ Here’s the thing... The Bike Angels are helping to balance the system, but we are being charged for rebalancing the most popular bikes - eBikes If you're a Bike Angel trying to earn points, those fees eat into your rewards big time, so you're helping Lyft make the system run better... and paying them for the privilege. Wim posted a matrix that show it clearly: Is it worth returning an ebike/scooter to a dock? | Bike Angels Imagine your boss offers you a salary, but says you can only shop at their own overpriced (.18 cents a minute) store to do the job. We’re happily doing the work, but we're forced to "buy the supplies" needed to get the job done, from Lyft. Sure, Lyft - CitiBike, Divvy, will never, ever change this, but it’s still awfully unfair. In NYC, the bikes have to be docked, Chicago's Divvy eBikes can be left out of station, which makes it even more crucial to hunt down and pick up the abandoned, and obscurely located ebikes that are left everywhere. We shouldn’t be punished financially for helping. Okay, just don't move eBikes. And although it will cut into the fun, at close to a 23% penalty in total points for the day, I may just start doing that. Problem solved.
