A Focus on the Last Mile
Good design was in place.
The bicycles were durable.
Daily operations functioned.
Even with all this aligned,
many shared bicycle systems still failed.
The reason was simple.
They never secured permission
to remain in the street.
Placing bicycles on sidewalks.
In front of stations.
At the most convenient locations.
Those decisions cannot be made
by private companies alone.
What makes YouBike distinct
is that the final step
was taken on by the administration.
Choosing to proceed despite losses
On its own,
YouBike is not a profitable business.
Initial investment is heavy.
Maintenance requires labor.
Usage fees are extremely low.
The most symbolic choice
is the first 30 minutes being free
or nearly free.
This clearly runs
against profit maximization.
From an administrative view, however,
the logic shifts.
YouBike was not designed
as a bicycle rental service.
It was designed
to make the MRT work.
Too far to walk to the station.
Not far enough to wait for a bus.
By filling in those final few hundred meters,
people begin to choose public transport.
YouBike functions
as a demand generator for the MRT.
That is why operating at a loss
was acceptable.
Offering the best locations
In many cities,
shared bicycle stations are pushed
into leftover spaces.
Places that do not interfere.
Places no one complains about.
In other words,
places that are least convenient.
Taipei took a different approach.
Directly outside MRT exits.
In front of university gates.
At the entrances of markets.
Outside government buildings.
The most valuable locations in the city
were offered without hesitation.
This was not mere cooperation.
It was the administration
exercising its authority
to allocate space.
“If it is not convenient,
it has no meaning.”
That assumption was shared
from the beginning.
Designed for anyone to use
YouBike users
are not a special group.
Students.
Older residents.
Migrant workers.
Visitors.
No license is required.
No special knowledge is needed.
With an EasyCard,
most people use it
under nearly identical conditions.
This was intentional.
YouBike does not select
for skilled users.
It avoids excessive features.
It does not rely too heavily on apps.
Pricing remains simple.
Barriers to participation
are kept deliberately low.
YouBike as urban infrastructure
Seen this way,
YouBike is no longer a single service.
Design creates order.
Objects create trust.
People sustain daily circulation.
Administration takes responsibility at the end.
This combination
moves quietly within the city.
It does not disrupt the streetscape.
It rarely provokes opposition.
It becomes ordinary without notice.
YouBike has become
part of Taiwan’s urban infrastructure.
Not a spectacular success.
Not easily replicated.
The reason lies
not in technology or capital,
but in where decisions were placed.
Who is it prepared for.
Who is allowed to participate.
The present landscape of YouBike
may be the result
of staying with those questions
to the very end.
Read more corner records
