Yesterday I had the chance to ride GoShare for the first time. The model I rode was a viva, and it happened to coincide with Line Pay's first day of rewards. From Ruiguang Road in Neihu to Xing'ai Road, then to Songshan, it took about 33 minutes and cost 18 yuan. However, since I regularly use Line Pay, I was able to redeem it with points for free—a great experience for me.
(GoShare via Facebook)
1. Precise Audience
I'm already a motorcycle rider, so having access to a better bike without spending any money and getting to experience it directly is the best form of marketing. Plus, as someone like me who's considering whether to replace my current bike—my previous one was a Kymco and I've been using it for over 10 years. After years of major and minor repairs, it still won't start properly in winter, and its scrap value is only 2000 yuan…
2. Smart Payment
As I mentioned, I use Line Pay very frequently. Right after returning to Taiwan, I didn't have time to withdraw cash, so for the past few days I've been going out without any cash. I can use Line Pay for taxis, drinks, convenience stores, transfer money via LINE to friends for meals, and use my Starbucks stored value card—basically except for the MRT and buses, I haven't needed cash (I lost my EasyCard). If public transportation supported NFC payment, I'd never need cash. So when GoShare came along, I immediately bound it to my account, largely because of Line Pay. The entire process was very smooth with no verification issues. (This post accidentally became a LINE PAY promotion XD)
3. Riding Experience
This is probably what everyone is curious about.
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No noise: My own scooter is old and loud, but GoShare has no engine sound like mine. Finally, I don't feel embarrassed.
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Two helmets included: No need to worry about having only one helmet—you can carry a passenger directly.
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Lightweight frame: Many of my friends can't put down the kickstand by themselves, so the lightweight design is a huge blessing for typical female office workers.
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Convenient pick-up and drop-off with no burden: For myself, since I ride scooters frequently and am afraid of getting fined, I don't dare leave my scooter parked randomly on the roadside and insist on finding a proper scooter parking spot. So while this rental method is similar to Obike's approach, with social regulations in place, chaos probably won't be as severe as before.
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Phone holder included: This made me happiest because I didn't have one and wanted to try it. Their phone holder isn't the type you push upward; instead, it uses elastic plastic straps that bind the phone's four corners, so it won't slip and won't damage the phone. This phone holder also doubles as a wireless charging pad, but since my iPhone 7+ doesn't support it, I didn't get to use that feature.
Drawbacks
Currently it's only available in Taipei and Taoyuan, so I can't ride it to New Taipei yet XDD. Another issue is the lack of a cup holder or storage basket. Fortunately, I happened to bring a cup carrier yesterday and just hung it on the handlebars. If there were a storage basket, I think it would be even better.
Another thing is battery swapping. I didn't have the experience of swapping batteries yesterday, so I'm not sure if when the battery runs out, you can swap it directly at a battery station, or if it's like Ubike where staff patrol and service the bikes. I'd appreciate if someone else could fill in this part.
Other professionals also mentioned:
- Many people have concerns about viva's power—after all, the top speed is only around 54 km/h. Will it be hard to keep up with traffic and cause safety issues?
On that point, during my ride, I did have some difficulty overtaking. I can't accelerate as immediately as a motorcycle, and when switching lanes, it's less smooth, which might make it hard for vehicles behind me to judge the distance. If you're a new motorcycle rider, you should probably pay attention to this.
