[udainxs]

With the rapid proliferation of convenient and affordable self-drive options for 2 wheelers in our cities, many folks have begun to use them to commute, unlike 4 wheeler rentals, which are more likely to be for outstation trips

With this, I have noticed an increase in 'ride it like you stole it' behavior. With limited accountability and repercussions, many folks seem to have blatant disregard for rules and regulations since the vehicle is not theirs. Jumping signals, irresponsible parking and general rash driving seem to have increased. A trip to the Bangalore airport will show a number of abandoned scooters, belonging to a dockless scooter rental player, on the flyovers

I welcome the convenience they offer, but I couldn't think of a way to foster more responsible behavior when using these facilities and vehicles.

Will regulation need to solve this problem, or is the rider ultimately responsible, with companies needing to find a way to pass on the fines, as and when incurred?

PS. I live in Bangalore, where there are plenty of such options, which possibly exacerbate the problem and make it more visible

[speedmiester]

I agree with you.
What baffles me is such behaviour is fostered by these companies who do not penalise such behaviour.
I have seen bounce scooters abandoned on the road sides with few parts missing.
I have seen a few abandoned in the ditches along the NICE road.
These startups do not care as they are burning Investor money and are only interested in the metrics.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

There shall be a rule to pass on the fine to the rider. If a biker frequently breaks the rules or mishandles the bike, he / she shall be put on the black list by all bike rental companies.

Additionally, the license too can be suspended.

[ajmat]

I find them parked around my house as there is a high student population. On pavements, blocking parking spaces or on a corner.

I read that the service providers pay the fine and try and recover it from the user. They need to change the model and take a deposit or like abroad, be able to debit a card (not possible due to India's two factor authentication regulation).

For some reason, the traffic police will not clamp down on them. The police and in turn the provider need put the squeeze on especially with higher fines.

[Thermodynamics]

Whenever I spot a rental car, my instinct says "keep safe distance" because you never know what type of hooligan/novice/"L" board can be experimenting behind the wheel. I am not trying to generalize but there is a rising trend that learners resort to rental options.

[KL01toKA03]

As I posted in another thread earlier today, I hope that the increase in fines will hopefully improve the way people treat self-drive cars and scooters. The operators would have to recover the fines from the people who had rented the vehicles, possibly even using legal help. That will either shut down the self drive providers or make people drive sensibly.

[kavensri]

These bikes have become a major nuisance for those who are staying near BYPN metro area. I see lot of these bikes parked haphazardly around SG Palya cross. We have got very good pedestrian walking space on this stretch of OMR. But all these spaces are being swamped by these bikes these days. I don’t know how this is allowed? No regulations for these providers?

[GTO]

Thread moved to the 2-wheeler forum!

I would be inclined to agree with the title of this thread. Reason being, Indians generally don't treat the property of others very well. Even a dude who carefully uses his own bike will race, revv & abuse a rental.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Absolutely!

I have used the service especially when on the way to pick up my vehicles from the service centre and is very grateful for the convenience they provide - but there is no denying that the lack of accountability is surely leading to a lot of abuse of the system and on our roads.

Have seen these scooters being driven by children, parked on the fast lane on top of flyovers, etc. And in general - even the scooter condition is going very bad these days thanks to all these. Rental companies have to take action fast, else they will go out of business very soon.

[nikhilthegunner]

Agree here. Many of them even travel with no helmets on, as if they're ready to throw away their lives at a moment's notice.

So what if the vehicle is not theirs? Why do such customers believe that they can fool around with the vehicle as much as they want? No wonder you read stories of rental cars being dirty or having some problem or another. You go to western countries and the rental cars there are in amazing conditions! No matter the age of the vehicle! What is the problem people have with ensuring the vehicle is in good condition?

[VVN]

Agreed. This menace existed even for 4 wheeler rentals. It is now curbed to a certain extent after the likes of Zoomcar and Myles added the mandatory speed limiter to their cars. Rental bikes should have a mandatory speed limiter of 40 KMPH. However, I am afraid this may not solve the issue because Bounce allows the rider to drop off the bike anywhere instead of a pre-decided location (Correct me if I am wrong).

[beat runner]

I dont know how this works in other cities, but here in Hyderabad, there are so many delivery guys who rent these vehicles and use those rashly - with next to none respect to rules - driving wrong side, no helmets, haphazardly cutting in lanes. My office few months back published a notice that there were 4 scooters lying around in parking from many weeks and requested those to be picked up - all were rentals.

[somspaple]

Based on my experience Bounce seems to be the major culprit here. One can drop the scooter off at any place of convenience and this gives rise to juvenile behaviour as you don't feel you're being 'monitored'.

1. People still feel the traffic fine is for the vehicle and not the user
2. Insurance premiums are not linked to one's driving style/history

Though as a concept it's great, but in reality without proper law and enforcement it's not gonna work (this is true across the world).

[satishv1987]

I've seen people even steal the helmet that comes with the Bounce vehicle. The lack of respect for other people's property is the main issue here.

I have an acquaintance who leads one of the teams at Bounce. He says they recognize the issue and are already looking at technological solutions to deter such behavior. At present, they do spend quite a lot of money to retrieve these abandoned vehicles on a daily basis. He also acknowledges that the company does very little to keep the rental vehicles in good condition. Vehicles are not serviced regularly and ply with worn out tires. Maybe this might also be one of the contributing factors in users treating the rentals in a careless manner.

"The vehicles is already in a terrible state. How does it matter if I abuse it a little more"

PS: Not condoning such behavior. Just trying to lend a different perspective.

[vijayshouree]

We are looking at a business model where the very item (the scooter/car), which is the sole purpose of business is not being taken care of.

The Company: Main aim is to get the ROI or burn the investor's cash and exit. Most of them think that it is the 'idea' that runs the business. But no, it is the process. More process involves more people, more cost to the company. So, avoid this in search of short term goals.

The Customer: We have in our DNA (sorry if someone gets offended). Anything that is not mine, no need to feel responsible for it. Ideally, it should be the other way round. Customer should feel responsible for what they have borrowed. It doesn't take much effort, all it takes is the right mindset.

The Item: Poor thing which is bearing all this pain in silence (or sometimes voicing out via rattles or breakdowns).