1Now that we've done all the research into bike-sharing schemes in cities around the world,
2we need to think about how we're going to organise our report.
3Right.
4I think we should start by talking about the benefits.
5I mean it's great that so many cities have introduced these schemes
6where anyone can pick up a bike from dozens of different locations
7and hire it for a few hours.
8It makes riding a bike very convenient for people.
9Yes, but the costs can add up
10and that puts people on low incomes off in some places.
11I suppose so,
12but if it means more people in general are cycling rather than driving,
13then because they're increasing the amount of physical activity they do,
14it's good for their health
15OK.
16But isn't that of less importance?
17I mean, doesn't the impact of reduced emissions on air pollution
18have a more significant effect on people's health?
19Certainly, in some cities bike-sharing has made a big contribution to that.
20And also helped to cut the number of cars on the road significantly.
21Which is the main point.
22Exactly.
23But I'd say it's had less of an impact on noise pollution
24because there are still loads of buses and lorries around.
25Right.
26Shall we quickly discuss the recommendations we're going to make?
27In order to ensure bike-sharing schemes are successful?
28Yes.
29OK.
30Well, while I think it's nice to have really state-of-the-art bikes with things like GPS,
31I wouldn't say they're absolutely necessary.
32But some technical things are really important -
33like a fully functional app -
34so people can make payments and book bikes easily.
35Places which haven't invested in that have really struggled.
36Good point...
37Some people say there shouldn't be competing companies offering separate bike-sharing schemes,
38but in some really big cities, competition's beneficial
39and anyway one company might not be able to manage the whole thing.
40Right.
41Deciding how much to invest is a big question.
42Cities which have opened loads of new bike lanes
43at the same time as introducing bike-sharing schemes have generally been more successful -
44but there are examples of successful schemes where this hasn't happened...
45What does matter though - is having a big publicity campaign.
46Definitely.
47If people don't know how to use the scheme or don't understand its benefits,
48they won't use it.
49People need a lot of persuasion to stop using their cars.
50Shall we look at some examples now?
51And say what we think is good or bad about them.
52I suppose we should start with Amsterdam
53as this was one of the first cities to have a bike-sharing scheme.
54Yes.
55There was already a strong culture of cycling here.
56In a way it's strange that there was such a demand for bike-sharing
57because you'd have thought most people would have used their own bikes.
58And yet it's one of the best-used schemes...
59Dublin's an interesting example of a success story.
60It must be because the public transport system's quite limited.
61Not really -
62there's no underground, but there are trams and a good bus network.
63I'd say price has a lot to do with it.
64It's one of the cheapest schemes in Europe to join.
65But the buses are really slow -
66anyway the weather certainly can't be a factor!
67No - definitely not.
68The London scheme's been quite successful
69Yes - it's been a really good thing for the city.
70The bikes are popular and the whole system is well maintained
71but it isn't expanding quickly enough.
72Basically, not enough's been spent on increasing the number of cycle lanes.
73Hopefully that'll change.
74Yes.
75Now what about outside Europe?
76Well bike-sharing schemes have taken off in places like Buenos Aires.
77They built a huge network of cycle lanes to support the introduction of the scheme there, didn't they?
78It attracted huge numbers of cyclists where previously there were hardly any.
79An example of good planning.
80Absolutely.
81New York is a good example of how not to introduce a scheme.
82When they launched it,
83it was more than ten times the price of most other schemes.
84More than it costs to take a taxi, crazy.
85I think the organisers lacked vision and ambition there.
86I think so too.
87Sydney would be a good example to use.
88I would have expected it to have grown pretty quickly here.
89Yes.
90I can't quite work out why it hasn't been an instant success like some of the others.
91It's a shame really.
92I know.
93OK so now we've thought about...