Maintenance : a key element in the operations of bike-sharing systems
“This time has shown us the potential cycling that has to change our cities and our lives” said Jill Warren of the Brussels-based European Cycling Federation in an interview for the BBC. The coronavirus pandemic has significantly changed the way we travel. With public transportation seen as a vector for the transmission of the virus, individual modes of transportation have been brought to the forefront. And the bike has been particularly in the spotlight. Many states have implemented extra bike lanes or encouraged their citizens to have their bikes repaired through financial aid to make cycling a preferred mode of transportation.
Especially in France, the boom in cycling has directly resulted in an increase in private bicycles, with sales growth of 1.7% compared to 2019, but also in the use of self-service bicycles (SSB) with an 11% increase compared to the previous year. The "Coup de Pouce Vélo" (Bike Boost) scheme implemented to encourage cycling after the french lockdown restrictions allowed many bicycle owners to have their vehicles repaired at a lower cost. Cycle mechanics have been in high demand to repair and maintain private bikes. Private bicycles are not the only ones that require regular maintenance. In fact, public bicycles are much more susceptible to damage due to the large number of users and the high volume of traffic. In addition, bike-share operators must sometimes meet very high bike availability rates, typically between 90 and 99%, or face penalties. The maintenance and upkeep of bike-share systems is a crucial yet little-known issue.
To better understand the world of bicycle maintenance, Qucit proposes to go back in detail on this central element of the SSB systems with the enlightenment of Vélogik, professional of the bicycle fleet maintenance.
Credits : Vélogik
Bicycle fleet maintenance: a little known but essential activity
Generally speaking, bicycle maintenance refers to the routine maintenance, overhaul and repair of all types of bicycles, usually carried out in a mechanical repair shop. In the context of self-service bicycle fleets, maintenance can be carried out by the operator itself or by a specialized service provider such as Vélogik.
To understand the scope of the subject, it is interesting to look at the different types of industrial maintenance required to maintain bike-sharing systems.
Corrective maintenance aims to diagnose and correct malfunctions in any equipment or production line as soon as they occur. The objective is to temporarily repair the defect in order to restore the use of the equipment before preventive or corrective maintenance.
Preventive maintenance is done before a breakdown. It is a method of preventing damage to equipment by periodically replacing parts and performing minor maintenance and inspections to keep the bikes running smoothly.
Predictive maintenance is the anticipation of future equipment failures, most often using software based on fleet status data. Thus, from the moment there are breakdowns, correlated with other indicators such as the weather, it is possible to prevent them by acting before a problem occurs.
Breakdown maintenance, on the other hand, is necessary when the bicycle is broken down or in very poor condition. After unsuccessful corrective and preventive measures have been implemented, corrective maintenance becomes inevitable. It is the last resort of maintenance, because it is a more expensive method. Indeed, curative maintenance requires the replacement of broken parts or the complete repair of the bicycle.
If these definitions allow us to understand the maintenance environment, Vélogik's insight into this sector allows us to better understand how it works.
Credits : Vélogik
« Last year was a special year for the bicycle maintenance sector. With the Coup de Pouce Vélo, there was a very high demand for bicycle repairs. This was delightful for us, because for the first time the need to maintain bikes was highlighted. »
Industrial maintenance is the core business of Vélogik. A technical center located in the city where the VLS system is located enables all actions related to the maintenance of the fleet to be carried out. The maintenance cycle begins with the rebalancing of the stations. This rebalancing allows vehicles to be added and removed so that the station can always supply and accommodate bicycles. During this operation, a check of the vehicles is performed to ensure that they are functioning properly. If a problem is identified on one of the bikes, the technician has two options: either the problem can be repaired on site and does not require the vehicle to be unavailable, or the breakdown is too serious and the bike has to be sent to a technicenter to be repaired.
However, Vélogik has diversified its maintenance activities and also offers its customers agile maintenance. The fleets are generally smaller than for industrial maintenance and require a visit from technicians on site, rather than a repair in a technicenter. This type of maintenance requires a greater capacity to adapt, particularly in the management of operations, but also to compensate for the lack of tools for certain repairs. Faced with the increase in small fleets of bicycles in companies such as La Poste (french postal service), agile maintenance is developing rapidly and has a bright future ahead of it.