Vilniuje įkurtą „Dropbyke.com“ pavadinę laisviausia dviračių nuoma pasaulyje per daug nemeluotume. Moki eurą už valandą, važiuoji, kur nori, ir palieki dviratį, kur užsimanęs – ar gali būti geriau? Startuolio įkūrėjas Aleksandras Švecovas sako, kad planuoja ateityje jį paversti pasaulinio masto dviračių „Uber“. O kodėl gi ne, jei tik liepos pirmąją atvykęs į Lietuvą jau sugebėjo tiek nuveikti? Tačiau dar įdomiau ir maloniau išgirsti, kodėl ir kaip jis čia atsidūrė.
„Rusijoje dirbau investiciniame banke. Gavau progą pasitobulinti vienoje geriausių pasaulio verslo mokyklų INSEAD, o tokios galimybės negalima praleisti, tad metams išvykau mokytis į Prancūziją. Jau iš ten patekau į studijas San Fransiske (JAV). O kai baigėsi mano mokslai ir vizos galiojimas – atvykau į Lietuvą“, – glaustai savo gyvenimo istoriją išdėstė 34 m. vadybininkas, nutaręs kurti startuolį šalyje, kurios ligi tol visai nepažinojo.
Idėja kurti „Uber“ (didžiausia pasaulyje taksi paslaugas teikianti kompanija, kuri neturi nė vieno automobilio) dviračiams ir kilo mokantis San Fransiske. Sugalvojo verslą kartu su dešimčia bendramokslių ir iškart išbandė Majamyje (JAV).
Nutarė savo verslo idėją realizuoti tokioje netikėtoje vietoje kaip Vilnius. Kodėl? Atsakymas gali nustebinti ne vieną Lietuvos gyventoją:…skaitykite toliau lrytas…
„Dropbyke” – Uber for bikes – Sets up in Lithuania
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Dropbyke.com, a new Vilnius-based shared economy venture, is the simplest bicycle rental scheme in the world. You pay one euro per hour to rent a bicycle, and when you are finished with it you can leave it anywhere in the city that suits you. Dropbyke’s founder, Alexander Shvetsov has plans to turn the start up into the Uber of bike rental.
The most flexible bike rental scheme
Dropbyke has already deposited 50 bicycles for hire around Vilnius, most of them in central locations near hotels. As Mr Shvetsov explains, tourists are currently the main target customers for the scheme as they often want a bicycle for an extended period, and they typically drop the bicycle off at the same place they picked it up.
The start up is currently being funded using Mr Shvetsov’s own money, including the purchasing of the bikes. “We bought inexpensive but high quality bikes and equipped them with a security system and lights to be in line with Lithuanian laws, and that’s it.”
Renting a bicycle using Dropbyke couldn’t be simpler. Once you have downloaded the app, registered your phone number and chosen a payment mode (so far Pay Pal is the most convenient) you are ready to go. A map on the app shows where bikes are currently located, and photos and comments left by previous users will help you locate exactly where it is. When you have chosen the bike you want, you are sent the key code of that bike.
There is no limit on how long you use the bike for, and rates are fixed at one euro per hour. When you have finished with the bike you simply lock it in a visible place and upload a photograph so it can be found by other users.
What makes the scheme unique is the fact that you can leave the bikes anywhere in the city. To avoid bikes getting stuck in the remotest outskirts where no one will use them, the Dropbyke team collect them and return them to the city centre from time to time.
With no other payments needed, and no other responsibilities, Dropbyke is certainly a unique form of bicycle rental. If bicycles are damaged or stolen, the user’s online reputation will be damaged and they will face prosecution.
Potential income for any bike owner
“If it goes well, we’ll order some exclusive bikes later on and it will not pay to steal them” explains Mr Shvetsov. “In any case, we’ll carry out our test in Vilnius. When we see that the system works and we have resolved any problems that arise, we will look for funding to then expand the program into other European cities.”
“The final goal is to become something like Uber for bikes. We know that Uber has become the biggest taxi service provider without owning a single car by allowing each driver to become a taxi driver. The idea for Dropbyke is the same: to allow anyone who has a bike but isn’t using it to rent it out to someone who needs it.”
By bringing the sharing economy to Vilnius, Dropbyke is introducing the very latest in business methods to Lithuania, a method which may well develop in new and interesting ways.
Read the full article at investlithuania.com
