Cyclefreo

Happyzine has published an article about the Cyclefreo business model and how it differs from other models around the world. You can read the full article here.

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Great article about Cyclefreo in the Fremantle Gazette. There is some good detail about Social Enterprise and the advantages to the community and Fremantle as a whole.

Click the image to read article

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Great article on Treehugger.com that provides an in depth view of Bicycle’s and how they have the ability to improve every aspect of life and real examples from around the world.

The bicycle has many attractions as a form of personal transportation. It alleviates congestion, lowers air pollution, reduces obesity, increases physical fitness, does not emit climate-disrupting carbon dioxide, and is priced within the reach of the billions of people who cannot afford a car. Bicycles increase mobility while reducing congestion and the area of land paved over. Six bicycles can typically fit into the road space used by one car. For parking, the advantage is even greater, with 20 bicycles occupying the space required to park a car.

Few methods of reducing carbon emissions are as effective as substituting a bicycle for a car on short trips. A bicycle is a marvel of engineering efficiency, one where an investment in 22 pounds of metal and rubber boosts the efficiency of individual mobility by a factor of three. On my bike I estimate that I get easily 7 miles per potato. An automobile, which requires at least a ton of material to transport one person, is extraordinarily inefficient by comparison.

The full article can be found here.

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An article about Cyclefreo has been published in the Fremantle Herald which runs through the basics of the bike system. You can see the full article below but there are a few things that need to be clarified from the article as they could mislead and are a bit out of context without the rest of the conversation.

The bike system does use credit cards to buy an annual subscription however pre-paid credit cards are not core to the system working. Any credit card can purchase an annual subscription or day pass and you are then provided with an electronic key to unlock bikes.

I have been talking to Notre Dame University in relation to the business model as it is a social business with social goals rather than a purely profit driven business. Things got crossed over a bit as the article quotes a partnership in relation to a pilot program, talk about pilot programs have been with the City of Fremantle and Public Transport Authority and there is a possibility for Notre Dame University to be part of this but at present I am only talking to them about the business model as this is an area they have expertise with from working in the social arena for such a long time.

Click on the article to read in full

Other than that it is good to see the Fremantle Mayor providing input but really I would like to see more information on the business model and the ideas behind social business because these are really what make this different to other Bike Share Systems around the world. They have asked me to write a thinking allowed article on this which could be a good way to raise awareness about social business.

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