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RESERVATIONS!!

A "simple" change to the "first come first serve" system would be to implement a limited time-horizon reservation system. The system would permit users with internet access to "reserve" a bike at a specified station for a limited period of time. The system could be set up so that a user could only reserve a short period of time ahead (e.g. 15 mins) and the reservation would expire shortly after the desired check-out time. A reservation could be "binding", meaning that a user will be charged for the reservation if they don't show up and it will expire to free up the bike to other users.

This would then eliminate the all-too-common problem of checking online if a bike is available and heading to a station only to find that the bike you thought would be there has been checked out before you could arrive.

Reservations are a simple and effective means of balancing supply and demand without imposing variable pricing. System capacity and balancing can still be implemented to further improve system availability. However, a reservation system would "guarantee" system availability for users that choose to use it. And it would not impose any new fees.

by BC on Jun 7, 2011 1:26 pm • link • report

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