This Company Is Giving Free Bikes to Londoners Who Don't Mind Being Rolling Ads
Posted in: UncategorizedIf you’re based in London and want a free bike, a new company called Buzzbike—whose name explains its entire business model—can make that happen for you.
In partnership with Cooper (creator of the Mini Cooper), which is providing the actual bicycles, Buzzbike offers Londoners not only a free bike but a Hiplok DC lock, lights, insurance and servicing—all for a £100 deposit (about $145). In exchange, users must commit to biking to work a minimum of 12 days a month and park their bikes on the street.
Why the weird requirements? The bikes are branded by whoever wants to be seen streetside, adding a democratic twang to the city bike model—Nike recently created its own city bikes for Portland, Ore., and Citi, of course, sponsors the New York program. The difference here, of course, is that no single brand has to carry the slack for the people’s transport.
