9A: Testing the Hypothesis

Opportunity: BikeShare within Gainesville, Florida

WHO: Throughout many interviews, and in this instance, with people who tended to be older or veterans on campus, there were people who fell outside my market. Those people who have learned the ropes of Gainesville: the ones who never get their car ticketed, have the perfect bike lock for their bike to never get stolen, and know how to keep their scooter in perfect condition at all times. Now, if you ask me, some of these people are a little unrealistic to me, like unicorns (who has NEVER gotten a parking ticket on campus if they have a car!?), but after interviews, they made their point very strong to me. 

• Interview One: I grabbed a random girl walking to her bike in my apartment complex, and whether she was in a terrible mood or just not the nicest person, she practically told me bikeshare in gainesville was stupid. She told me she has this thing called a U-Lock, and that her bike would never get stolen (okay). 
• Interview Two: I managed to speak to a professor walking out of Turlington Hall after one of my exams. He told me he drives a car, parks it securely in the same spot everyday, walks around campus for lunch, and has never gotten ticketed in all his years at UF. Well good for you.
• Interview Three: I spoke to a senior in my sorority who has a scooter, that honestly looks perfect to me. She said she's gotten the whole parking without getting her scooter scratched thing down pat, and she gets it checked for maintenance every 3 months. Although not all people are THIS on top of things, I see her point. 
• Interview Four: While walking to the gym this morning, i decided to question a fellow walker. Maybe I caught him off guard but he was pretty annoyed with my questioning about bikeshare, and told me we didn't have enough room for something like this in gainesville, and that it was "unnecessary" for the city. 
• Interview Five: I decided to circle back to one of my older coworkers who i had faith would enjoy my idea. He told me how he really just preferred using his car to get to work, and any extra exercise he could get by walking, he'd take any day. He did mention the idea of Bikeshare would be useful, just not to him. 

WHAT: The need from bikeshare doesn't really differ from the need for bikes, scooters or cars in general. No matter what, no matter how many bikeshare stations I install, people will still buy bikes and scooters, and people will ALWAYS have cars. It's more of a desire for convenience I'm trying to highlight, but not all people need that. 

WHY: I don't believe the insider vs the outsiders needs differ at all. In whatever form it may be, the city of Gainesville has plenty of people in need of transportation in some way, shape, or form. Whether you want to purchase your own bike, scooter, or car, walk everywhere, take the bus, or maybe use this new bikeshare system, well all need some way to get from one place to the next.