tandempower

Some buses have bike racks, but what about taxis/ride-shares? Have you ever seen or used such a taxi? If not, would it be a good idea? Would you use it? For what kind of rides? How much would you pay?

Roody

I don't see much point in it. Why would people do a mixed mode taxi/bike thing? The whole point of taxis is that they take you right to the doorstep.

tandempower

The point is people feeling more free to venture further from home knowing they can get a ride back if necessary. Or, if you want to travel to a nearby city for the weekend but it's too far to ride and you would still like to get around by bike when you're there. From what little I've researched Uber, the cost of taxi service beyond a couple miles is very high, but then so is Greyhound, and Greyhound buses don't have bike racks. There are some intercity buses that have bike racks (sometimes), but the schedules are typically inconvenient and I've decided it's not worth gambling whether the bus will have a bike rack on the day you need it to bc what do you do if it doesn't, leave your bike behind?

Anyway, I just raised the discussion because I wondered if anyone had struggled with traveling with their bike and used taxis or thought of the idea. I get the idea most car free people just bike around where they live and just walk or use other transportation when they travel to another area. I would do the same if bike rentals would be affordable but they're mostly expensive enough that it would be worth it to bring my own bike, if possible.

350htrr

Around here I have seen a fair number of people using the bus racks riding the bus to the University presumably because it's on top of a fairly big hill and riding the bike back home... Never seen a taxi with one tho.

Dahon.Steve

+1

I'm all for taxis with bike racks for the following reasons you stated and more.

1. Break down: I've broken down several times and remember having to walk home for miles because there were no train service near and buses didn't have racks in those days.

2. Bridges/Tunnels: There are alot of restricted bridges and tunnels that won't allow bikes and no bus service is available to cross them. You either have a car or call a taxis. But what do you do if you have a bicycle?

3. Sundays and Holidays: I don't have to tell you that public transit drops dramatically or becomes non-existant during Sunday and Holidays.

4. Overnight: I suspect about 95% of public transit around the country terminates after 1:30 AM. I remember reading how the trolley systems back in 1900 were still providing 30 minute service after 1:00 AM in the morning. Those were the days!

5. Bad Weather / Bad neighborhoods: After Hurricane Sandy when there were no street lights, I would have taken a taxis home instead of riding in pitch black streets and bad neighborhoods. If there are thunderstorms and lightening, it would be great to have a taxis take you home instead of taking a chance in deadly weather.

fietsbob

Some are So Equipped , Here . town is built over a Steep Hill .

chefisaac

No issue with commuting/riding durning the hurricane. Wasn't easy but it was fun. Lights on bike worked great. I do agree.... Breakdowns in bad areas would suck.

soom

Taxi's from what I've seen here in America generally do not have a dedicated bicycle racks. However I'm sure if you had the space for it you can easily take the front wheel off, pop that in the trunk, and rest the of the bicycle in the back.

I take Uber/Lyft a lot and I have not had any issue transporting groceries or other goods around. Note that Uber/Lyft is approx. 30% cheaper than a cab and tips are not required. I think 90% of drivers will have no qualms about lugging your bicycle around.

I would think common courtesy would be appropriate and don't get their car dirty from chain grease or call your driver ahead to let them know. They can cancel on you if they're not feeling up for it. If i'm in a bind I would have no hesitation calling up an uber or lyft to get me where I need to go whether that is home or a LBS to get a pinch flat taken care of.

tandempower

Lol. I haven't known taxis 'here in America' to be a homogeneous breed.

There is a local bus route that carries buses, but only sometimes. It just depends whether the driver gets the bus with the bike rack or not that day. Irregularity makes trip-planning awkward. What would you do if you were able to bring your bike one way on a route but not bring it back? You'd have to either stay with the bike or abandon it. I find that the prospect of that leads me to avoid seeking a lift for my bike unless I'm sure I'll be able to get a lift back for it as well.

soom

Sorry my grammar/choice of words may not be that great. I learned English as a second language but not sure what you mean by the homogeneous breed comment.

Agreed that the prospect of having to leave your bicycle stranded is something to clearly avoid. I've been a long time bus rider and the general rule of thumb is use the bicycle rack or they will let you bring the bicycle on board if the rack is full and if/when it's the last route.

Do you have a smartphone and have tried uber/lyft? It's a much better on-demand service than say a cab. Also if you're riding in a remote area then I doubt a cab / on-demand service will drive that far out for you. I'm not sure where you're exactly riding though or the popularity of such services in your area. I live in a populous area so its not an issue.

Ekdog

Welcome to the forum. For someone who learned English as a second language, your writing is excellent. If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd never have guessed. I think Tandempower meant to say that taxis in the United States are not all the same, that there are a lot of different kinds.

tandempower

Exactly, there are cars and minivans, etc. They come in all different colors and signage. When I was younger, I expected them all to be yellow sedans with checkers, etc. As far as I know, they are locally owned and organized, so there's really no way to homogenize them to achieve some kind of uniformity. Theoretically, some taxi owner could attempt to conform company vehicles to some cultural/aesthetic standard, but I don't think that standard is there, beyond the yellow checkered design used on some taxis.

I wouldn't worry about you English. I used to do this when speaking second languages. It's natural because you assume others are more comfortable with the language than you are, but the problem is that there's a good chance your English is better than a lot of 'native' speakers, so it is awkward to apologize for language skills without sounding like you're a language snob. Language politics get all mixed up with the politics of native vs. foreign identity so I find the best thing to do is just use words you know and ask people what they mean when you don't understand. It might not be a language-acquisition problem but just a communication problem based on divergent patterns of mind.

mconlonx

Once again, a folding bike is an alternate solution. If a taxi ride is needed or desired, no need that it have a rack, just fold the bike up so it fits in the trunk or with you in the back seat.

Ekdog

Folders are the solution to so many of the problems we carfree folks face.

wu_osiris

This would be great on some Uber cars around LA, but they just barely started taking handicap riders. I think as time goes on and if bikes really take off. I could see Uber doing something to that effect. Time to submit feedback to them

Grillparzer

In the D.C. area, almost all of the buses have bike racks. I've never seen a taxi or an uber with one, but there are a number of mini-van or small panel van taxis with enough space to hold a bike or two. Those would be available I'm sure at special request and for an extra charge.

FedericoMena

There was an article a few months ago about how taxis in Amsterdam (or was it Copenhagen? One of those super-bikeable cities) started carrying bike racks, and they were a huge hit. That way you can move around on a bike, go to a bar, and get driven back with your bike.

I'd love to have the option of putting the bike on a cab if I had a mechanical problem that I wasn't equipped to solve while on the road. Or if you bike "too far away" and need to come back (or if you need to go very far away and you'd like to bike the last stretch...).

prathmann

Or just use a regular bike. My 60cm road bike fits easily in the trunk of my Toyota Corolla once I pop off the wheels (takes less than a minute). If really needed I could get a second bike in the back seat and have enough room to squeeze in next to it - so two bikes and two passengers should fit in just about the smallest cabs/Uber/etc.

tandempower

I don't like putting a bike inside an upholstered vehicle unless absolutely necessary because of the grease and dirt. All vehicles should come standard with bike-racks that extend out from the roof frame, imo.

Walter S

And what about a sun roof? And a trailer hitch?

Not everybody needs a bike rack and will not want to pay for it.

tandempower

Sun roof, no. Trailer hitch, probably also should be standard on vehicles suitable for towing. Why should anyone own a vehicle with towing capacity if they have no interest in towing anything? Are we returning to cult of driving large trucks and SUVs purely for the status-symbol value?

Bike racks should be standard because people should give up the idea of being able to drive and park anywhere within walking distance of their parking spot. It's silly to continue with this idea that every destination has to have adequate parking for all visitors. Probably not only bike racks should come standard on vehicles but bikes as well.

Mobile 155

TP: Everything that comes "Standard" on a vehicle costs the consumer extra. When the made air bags standard the base price went up. ABS added to the base price. Even the Radio adds to the base price. Add a bike rack and you add to the base price.

Walter S

My mother can't walk. She needs to buy a bike rack??

Walter S

Because the vehicle has various desirable features other than the potential to tow a load.

tandempower

If the bike rack was built into the frame at the time of manufacture, it would be more effective and simple. Basically, you already have longitudinal beams in the roof of any car/truck, correct? So if those beams have smaller beams inside or alongside that extend out through small, capped holes in the body/roof panels, then you really just have to pull the beams out to the extended position and lift the bike up onto them. Then, when you take the bike off, you just push the extended beams back into the roof.

If it's a standard feature, the cost is lower because it goes onto every vehicle in the factory instead of just some. Likewise, if it is an extra, it's going to cost a lot because the nature of factory extras is that they can be priced higher because they are paid off over the course of financing.

I really didn't want to get into an economic discussion about this. I just think it would be good to have such bike racks standard on all cars so that we can dispense generally with the notion that everyone should be able to park within walking distance of every destination. Reserve the nearby parking spots for people like Walter S's mother, who actually need them because they can't ride a bike.

Why would you even use personal information about your mother like this? Is your point to challenge me to comment on your mother or relinquish my stance? I don't think your mother needs to buy a bike rack if she won't use it, but I don't think it would hurt her to have one built into a car she buys if it doesn't add significantly to the cost. Many standard items are included on cars that aren't really necessary. Why does everyone need to pay for carpeted floors and ceilings, for example? Why not just leave them bare? Rivets? Why not just spray-coat them? What about having non-upholstered seats made out of flexible plastic? Glove boxes? Why? Molded dash board, consoles, steering wheels, etc.? The price of cars/trucks could be much lower if none of these items were included standard.