Public bicycle rentals are struggling, and the investor is reporting losses.

After more than a year of piloting, many public bicycle stations in Hanoi are deserted and have failed to attract users.

To support businesses, Hanoi continues to offer free sidewalk rentals and is also exploring the possibility of subsidizing parking fees, similar to bus fares.

The bike station was deserted.

On the afternoon of March 26th, at the public bicycle rental station near the Youth Academy on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, a reporter observed that, despite it being peak hour, only one young man came to rent a bicycle in about 30 minutes.

Public bicycle services have not yet attracted many users due to various inconveniences.

Ms. Nguyen Thuy Huong, a fast-food vendor at the entrance of the Youth Academy, said: "During the day, very few people rent bicycles to go to school or work. Only in the evening do students or families come to rent them for leisure or exercise."

To help public bicycle services attract more users, it is necessary to study routes that meet the criteria for constructing dedicated bicycle lanes, making it easier for people to travel.

The organizing unit also needs to increase the coverage of the station network and ensure that the number of vehicles at each station is appropriately and adequately arranged. Finally, the procedures for service users need to be concise and simplified to suit a wide range of users.

Traffic expert Nguyen Xuan Thuy

Right below the Cat Linh metro station, on Cat Linh Street, there's a public bicycle rental station, but very few people use it. After each train, people usually travel by private vehicle parked there or by motorbike taxi or bus.

For more than six months, Nguyen Hai (28 years old, Hoan Kiem district) has chosen public bicycles as his means of transportation for strolling, sightseeing, or exercising every day.

"It only takes about 3 minutes to walk from my house to the nearest public bike station, so I take my bike out for exercise every morning."

"I find the running costs of this bicycle quite reasonable, but it's not as convenient for commuting to work as a personal vehicle," said Hai.

Meanwhile, after using public bicycles for a while, Tran Minh Huong (Ha Dong, Hanoi) shared: "Public bicycles often have faulty locks, and sometimes they don't accept the bikes back when you return them."

"I often had to call the hotline, and only then could they help me lock my bike and return it. Finding it inconvenient, I switched to taking the bus."

The company reported a loss.

According to Mr. Do Ba Quan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tri Nam Digital Transport Company, after more than a year of piloting (since August 24, 2023), the company has now deployed more than 800 motorized bicycles at 90 locations in 6 districts.

Few people use public bicycles to go to school or work due to their limited features compared to motorbikes.

This service has attracted over 833,000 registered users, averaging nearly 700 new registrations per day. Since the pilot program began, 533,000 trips have been made, averaging around 900 trips per day.

"Currently, nearly 1,000 people use monthly passes for daily commuting. They use it regularly, 1-2 trips a day, mainly at metro stations," Mr. Quan said, acknowledging that fewer people use public bicycles for commuting to school or work due to their limited features compared to motorbikes.

Therefore, the company is coordinating with local authorities to review and plan to add another 80 stations with approximately 500 motorbikes, focusing on Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh districts to attract more users.

According to Mr. Quan, even though the public bicycle service is being offered free use of sidewalks for the pilot program, it is still not profitable.

The pilot project cost over 6.4 billion VND to invest in, but revenue after one year only reached 3.7 billion VND. Currently, the business continues to incur losses, but specific financial statements are not yet available.

"We are committed to a long-term strategy with this service, and while still in the investment phase, the company hopes that later, when Hanoi restricts private vehicles, it will attract even more users," Mr. Quan shared.

Research on subsidies such as bus fares.

Mr. Nguyen Tuyen, Head of the Transport Management and Traffic Safety Department (Hanoi Department of Construction), assessed that the operating unit is still learning from experience while operating, so solutions will certainly be found in the future.

"We also requested them to provide more motorbikes to attract people to commute to work and school, and arrangements are being made for additional stations," Mr. Tuyen said.

Regarding mechanisms and policies to support businesses, Mr. Tuyen said: "Currently, Hanoi continues to offer free sidewalk rentals, and subsidies similar to those for buses are still under study."

According to Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thuy, former Director of the Transport Publishing House and an expert in urban transportation research, public bicycle services have not yet attracted people to use them due to various reasons.

Firstly, the transportation infrastructure is not yet adequate to meet the demand; many roads and lanes dedicated to bicycles are still limited.

The second reason stems from people's commuting habits. Thirdly, the current procedures and processes for using public bicycle services are a barrier for the elderly, as everything is handled online.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/ha-noi-xe-dap-cong-cong-e-khach-chu-dau-tu-bao-lo-192250327220250416.htm