Subscription Brompton Scheme to launch.

[Cycleops]

From September you'll be ble to subscribe to access a Brompton for from £30 a month if you sign up for 12 months:
https://road.cc/content/news/brompt...errer=https://www.google.com&amp_tf=From %1$s

 

[steveindenmark]

Its a good idea and could be profitable, unlike the Brompton Dock system. I can well imagine hundreds of them getting nicked as they are insured against theft.

 

[u_i]

A couple of institutions, I was tied to at different stages, ran bike loan programs for visitors. I even tried myself to hold bikes for visitors to my workplace. The biggest problem was with bike abuse, forcing an unreasonably high level of maintenance. I gave up my own effort after a few bad experiences and one of these institutions too. I presume the subscription must involve a financial protection for Brompton up to or exceeding the value of the bike. Besides the physical abuse, customers may be reckless in parking the bike.

 

[straas]

Maybe if they followed the car leasing model?

 

[berlinonaut]

A couple of institutions, I was tied to at different stages, ran bike loan programs for visitors. I even tried myself to hold bikes for visitors to my workplace.

I'd say this is a different model, targeting a different audience. The Brompton model targets more people that want to use something constantly but not bothering with property and maintenance, not temporary users like tourists and visitors. So they want the usage including permanent personal availability but avoid ownership, accountability and piling goods. The Brompton model seems relatively similar to i.e. https://swapfiets.de/en/ - they are surprisingly popular over here, especially with the younger urban generation.

The mentioned problems with misuse etc. remain to a degree, but it is probably way less "don't be gentle it's a rental" than with ordinary rental bikes.

 

[annedonnelly]

Good luck to them if it works. I love mine for multi-modal travel & I'm sure there are loads of other people who could benefit but aren't able to buy one outright.

It's a good way to try it out too - if you find that it works for you, you can then buy your own.

 

[sheddy]

Option to buy at end ?
Could be an incentive to take proper care.

 

[u_i]

I'd say this is a different model, targeting a different audience. The Brompton model targets more people that want to use something constantly but not bothering with property and maintenance, not temporary users like tourists and visitors. So they want the usage including permanent personal availability but avoid ownership, accountability and piling goods. The Brompton model seems relatively similar to i.e. https://swapfiets.de/en/ - they are surprisingly popular over here, especially with the younger urban generation.

The mentioned problems with misuse etc. remain to a degree, but it is probably way less "don't be gentle it's a rental" than with ordinary rental bikes.

Popularity does not equal profit and efforts are pursued initially even if they lose money in the hopes that there will be, at some point, a turnaround and a long-term gain. Losing money initially is normal and Amazon was losing money for some years initially. Even now I think that they gain more profit from cloud computing than retail, in spite of the obvious popularity of the latter.

In bike sharing, the Chinese pioneering hugely popular Ofo had to be salvaged from bankrupcy. The same just happened to the very popular Polish Veturilo.

Obviously car leasing works, but that again this aims at a bit different portion of the society than bike sharing. Brompton subscription/Swapfiets aims at the portion of the society that is somewhere in-between. Obviously I wish them luck. I used Brompton Bike Hire myself and it worked great. The bikes were beat up, but so to say in a good enough shape.

 

[mitchibob]

I think it's a great idea. As someone that used BromptonBikeHire when it was really cheap, what it did more than anything was sell me on getting my own bikes, in a colour scheme I liked, with the features I actually needed. The hire bikes I used were pretty good, and convenient having dynamo lights. I kept one for a few months I think.

Once I tried out a 2-speed, decided that was what I really needed for around town. Then rode that to Brighton and realised I really wanted a 6 speed, as well!

But I think longer term rental is definitely a good way of selling more bikes ultimately, as once people live with one for a bit, they're going to want to make one their own.

 

[Kell]

I did use the Brompton Hire scheme before ordering my bike, but that was to check I could get on with the bike. Though that was back in 2016 when it was £1.50 a day (IIRC) not the £6.50 it's become now.

But I don't really subscribe (literally) to the rental argument for long-term use. I know lots of people do, but to me it always seems like you're just throwing money away.

If it's £30 a month to rent, but £80 a month to buy (through ride to work) it doesn't seem like a huge amount extra to buy your own. Although I understand that not everyone will see the price difference as easy to achieve.

I think maybe, for me, I'd need to look at it in an entirely different way to make it make sense. i.e. not as an alternative to owning the bike, but as an alternative to getting the bus/tube. i.e. other forms of transport where you're also just throwing money away.

So rather than convince people to rent a bike rather than own one, you convince them to rent the bike rather than get public transport.

As mentioned, these sorts of schemes are popular with cars, so it could work.

 

[Kell]

Just to add, having read it all fully, I'd expect the subscription scheme to be for a brand-new bike. But it appears it's just the same as if hiring - you just pick a random bike up from one of the docking stations.

Unless I misunderstood that and you do get a specific bike, it just gets dropped off at a dock.

I know the bike I hired initially had to go back as it had issues with the folding pedal and the rear brake.

 

[PaulRoberts]

Just to add, having read it all fully, I'd expect the subscription scheme to be for a brand-new bike. But it appears it's just the same as if hiring - you just pick a random bike up from one of the docking stations.

Unless I misunderstood that and you do get a specific bike, it just gets dropped off at a dock.

I know the bike I hired initially had to go back as it had issues with the folding pedal and the rear brake.

It's a separate fleet of black M3L's with a dynamo hub that you pick up from the dock with an emergency code given by customer services on the phone/text.

The £30 includes insurance and servicing etc.

Any issues like punctures, they will swap the bike for a replacement one.

 

[PaulRoberts]

Option to buy at end ?
Could be an incentive to take proper care.

They offer a discount if you buy a Brompton, £100 I think.

Discount on future Brompton purchase

 

[Justinitus]

The article was from 2020 - does anyone know if the scheme actually launched?

Edit: @PaulRoberts I see on another thread you have one of the subscription bikes. How’s it working for you?

 

[PaulRoberts]

The article was from 2020 - does anyone know if the scheme actually launched?

Edit: @PaulRoberts I see on another thread you have one of the subscription bikes. How’s it working for you?

Good, had one since October, you do the direct debit then it's email about which dock is nearest and text/calling when you collect as they send you a code to unlock the bike locker. There was a bit of a wait at first from signing up to being invited to do the direct debit etc.

It's easier if you are near a dock, and one that is popular, nearest to me is Peckham Rye, had a bit of a wait getting a bike sent to that one, have used Kings Cross subsequently which was quicker.

The only issue I've had was a persistent puncture, think it was a spoke doing it, I gave up patching it and emailed them and they swapped the bike next day, went to the dock put it in one of the boxes then got another out of another box using a special code.

The bikes are separate from the hire fleet, when returned they are collected by an engineer and get a full service.