Latest news with #DublinBikes
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Hot Wheels - Frank McNally on the mystery of why anyone would steal a Dublin Bike
My Dublin Bike got stolen on Wednesday, in broad daylight. Broad daylight is a mindless cliche, I know. But it was a late afternoon in August, on a wide street (Clanbrassil Upper) lined with only two-storey houses. The daylight was definitely broader than it would have been in many parts of the city, or in November. Even so, I came out of a cafe where I had been having tea with my sister, and there the bike was, gone. Had I forgotten to lock it? No, I distinctly remembered locking it to a pole. Besides, I had the key. You can't take the key out of a Dublin Bike unless it's locked. Then I wondered had I misremembered the pole. No again. The other poles nearby were equally bike-less. And now I noticed, ominously, that at the bottom of the pole I'd used lay two kryptonite-style locks. Both were intact, suggesting either that local bicycle owners used the same pole so often they left their locks there permanently, or that thieves had found a way of stealing the bikes without unlocking them. READ MORE I was nevertheless baffled at the turn of events. Being instantly recognisable, Dublin Bikes have no resale value. Nor, in themselves, are they objects of desire. This is central to the success of the whole free-bike model, in fact, including the Vélibs of Paris. In a city of high aesthetic values, those too are deliberately devoid of beauty or charm or anything that might make you want to bring one home with you. Dublin Bikes are heavy, clunky and have the suspensions of a wheelbarrow. Even on the best roads, they are deeply lacking in empathy with the human posterior. But ridden on suboptimal surfaces such as cobbles, potholes, roadside drains, etc, they are liable to find any loose dental fillings you might have and shake them out of you. The point is, the bikes are built for durability rather than comfort. What they offer is no-frills convenience, like Ryanair, except with bigger baggage allowances. I have occasionally carried a 10kg suitcase in the basket of a Dublin Bike, or wheeled a 7ft Christmas tree home on one, draped over basket, crossbar and saddle (the tree, that is, not me). Who would anyone steal such a bicycle? There are only two possible motivations I can think of: (a) a transport emergency of some kind or (b) pure badness. But if it was the former, and somebody needed to commandeer a bike in a hurry for a one-off trip, he must have been carrying a bolt-cutter to clip the cable. When I rang the helpline, the woman at the other end suggested it was more likely a variation of (b). Yes, she confirmed, the bicycles do get stolen occasionally, by vandals who then just dump them. If that happened in my case, the bike might be returned to one of the docking stations eventually. Otherwise, she said, I would be charged €150 for its loss. 'We encourage users to leave the bikes in stations rather than lock them,' she said, by way of a mild lecture. To which I replied that I would happily have docked mine in a station, except that there was none within a 10-minute walk of my location. Even though that was within the canals, and close to an area known as The Tenters – which has more hipsters per square metre than most suburbs – it's a black hole on the Dublin Bike map. This was no excuse, the woman said. If the borrowed bicycle didn't turn up again somewhere, I'd still be paying. I started using this service back in 2012, after my last personally owned bike got stolen. That happened in slightly narrower daylight, outside the seven-storey offices of The Irish Times. I'd just dropped in to pick up post, but it was the day of an Ireland-Sweden football match. And my brief visit to the newsroom coincided with the passage of 3,000 Swedish fans down Townsend Street towards the stadium, escorted by gardaí. While I watched the colourful spectacle from the windows above, some fecker with a bolt cutter was taking advantage of the distraction to cut the lock on my expensive Trek. A small consolation was that this coincided with the extension of the Dublin Bikes scheme to the road where I lived. So I took the hint and have not owned a bike again since. Mulling that game changer at the time , I mentioned the unattractiveness of the socialised bikes but added: 'On the plus side, you never have to worry about lights or locks again. An enlightened public-private partnership supplies the hardware, and risks are shared by the community at large.' Then, poignantly in retrospect, I added: 'Not the least impressive thing about the Dublin scheme is how free of theft or vandalism it has been.' Oh dear. This week's event may prove to be another game changer. Either way, for the moment, I have been forced to fall back on an older free transport scheme, the one known as 'Shanks's Mare'.
The Irish Sun
29-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Major blow as DublinBikes ‘not working' & council issue fix update amid fears hundreds of Irish commuters hit by outage
MULTIPLE stations for Dublin City Council's bike-sharing service are understood to not be working this morning due to a telecoms issue. The self-service 2 Hundreds of commuters in Dublin city could be affected Credit: Alamy Stock Photo 2 A significant number of DublinBikes stations are not working Credit: Alamy Stock Photo A spokesperson said: Due to an issue with an external data communications provider a significant number of dublinbikes stations have been disconnected from the network since opening this morning. "Our data communications supplier is working on the issue with the aim of restoring service as soon as possible. "We apologise for any inconvenience caused." READ MORE IRISH NEWS There are around 1,600 bikes available to hire through the scheme at 115 stations across Dublin City and thousands of people are subscribed to the popular service, which was launched in 2009. And it is understood that the outage of the services could affect hundreds of commuters trying to travel through the capital this morning. Some have already taken to social media to report the service failure. One said: "Dublin Bikes not working - no communication on resolution ETA Interested how many Dublin commuters are affected." MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Another added: "DublinBikes seem to be offline today. Any idea what's happening?" The Irish Sun has reached out to Dublin City Council for a comment on the outage but did not receive an immediate reply. Commuters have been urged to keep up to date with Dublin City Council's social media pages and DublinBikes website for updates. The self-service bike rental system is open to everyone aged 14 and up. AFFORDABLE PRICING The one day ticket costs €3.50 and gives full access to the Dublin Bike service over a 24 hour period. The annual card costs €35 per year, and enables you to use the bikes on an unlimited basis all year round. The first 30 minutes of each journey are free and additional time is charged incrementally, with the first hour costing €0.50. Every additional half-hour after this costs €1.50. Stations are distributed throughout Dublin city centre to enable easy access and optimal use for subscribers. Bikes are usually accessible 365 days a year between the hours of 5am and 12.30am and can be returned at any time.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major boost for commuters as DublinBikes announce free cycle to work offer TODAY – here's how to avail of freebie spin
A MAJOR boost for commuters is on the way as DublinBikes announced a free cycle to work offer TODAY - here's how to avail of a freebie spin. Advertisement 2 RedClick Dublinbikes are offering a free cycle to work offer today Credit: PR Handout For one day only, '1 Day Tickets' which normally cost €3.50 will be completely free from midnight to 11:59pm today. The move is part of RedClick DublinBikes' new Shared Streets campaign which wants to see more people cycling around the city. The DublinBikes scheme has been operating since 2009 and has clocked over 38 million journeys to date. Run by advertising company JCDecaux for Dublin City Council, the scheme has become a major part of Dublin's Advertisement READ MORE IN TRAVEL As always, all trips under 30 minutes will still be free - but if you're going longer standard rental charges will apply. This offer comes during Bike Week, and RedClick hopes it gives people a push to choose cycling as a fun, healthy and green way to get around. Only 18 per cent of Dubliners cycle at least once a week, according to new research commissioned by the insurance group. This is behind the EU average of 24 percent, with some countries like Advertisement Most read in News Travel RedClick General Manager, Lorenzo Loan, said they're proud to support the initiative and want to see even more people giving cycling a go. He said: 'As proud partners of the RedClick DublinBikes scheme, we're delighted to support Bike to Work Day and encourage more people to get out and cycle. 'It's very important' - Ryanair's 'baggage sizers' warning to Irish passengers ahead of busy Easter break amid €75 fine 'Our research shows that people recognise the health, environmental, and lifestyle benefits of cycling - but many still need the right support to make it part of daily life. 'That's what National Bike Week - and our Shared Streets campaign - is all about: giving more people the chance to experience cycling as a real, everyday option.' Advertisement To get the free ticket, head to their website at Meanwhile, Irish parents are set for a big boost as a new scheme that will allow children under nine to travel free on public transport has been revealed. FREE PUBLIC TRANSPORT FOR CHILDREN SCHEME Part of Budget 2025, the initiative was announced during a Dáil session and is now being developed by the National Transport Authority. And it is set to be rolled out in the third quarter of the year. Advertisement It means that The aim is to ease pressure on household budgets, make transport more accessible and build long-term habits among young children for choosing buses, trains over cars. Minister of State Seán Canney confirmed in the Dáil that the work is underway and said that he will follow up once a specific date is finalised. He said: "The National Transport Authority has statutory responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation, PSO, contracts. Advertisement "Under the programme for Government, our commitments include the roll-out of contactless payments, keeping fares affordable and examining the further expansion of free public transport for children. "Specifically, budget 2025 included a measure to extend free child fares on PSO services to children aged five to eight years old. "The NTA is working to develop and implement this change, with the new scheme expected to launch in quarter 3 of this year." 2 Cyclist's can avail of the promotion for one day only Credit: J Orr Advertisement
