I read through this article from Daniel Freund on how algorithms can improve bike-share operations, and what strucked me was the power of the Bike Angel program : 30% of NYC CitiBike balancing is done by the users !

It really shows the power of gamification to have users balancing the fleets. In NYC, Boston, Washington, where the program is active, the use of the Bike Angel program is a real success and even created a new sport :

And I wonder… with such fierce competition in the free-floating shared bikes, e-bikes and, above all, e-scooters, why are operators not investing (way) more in gamification? The benefits could be huge:

• on the operation costs and efficiency – as the CitiBike example proves – if 30% of the balancing is “for free”
• on the availability of the vehicles, as the algorithm would help to distribute it in high demand areas throughout the day.
• on creating a community around the mobility service, with potential impacts on market share appropriation, vandalism rates…

Waiting for you answers 😉