March 13, 2019
Author Pontus
Personal, Photos, Travel

Japan, Tokyo

Posted by PontusMarch 13, 2019
Personal, Photos, Travel

Saving some money on the daily commute with docomo bike share.

Going back and forth to the office while here in Tokyo isn't that expensive, but since I'm going by subway, and I have one change on the way, it adds up pretty fast. So I thought I'd give the Docomo Bike Share a try. I will do this more.. unless I get some weird bill.

Docomo bike share in tokyo is a great idea, and in some cases, you save some money while exploring new things.
Fast info about the bikes.

"Docomo bike share"-bikes can be found all over Tokyo, and the bikes are divided up by wards, something it seems doesn't really matter for the person renting the bike.

When done riding, I think you have to place it in a docomo bike park, but I'm not sure. So to be safe, I always use the bike park. They're pretty hidden, but there's a map on their website that can give you a good indication.

The bikes are electric, so the electric motor provides power assistance when you are pedalling to ease the ride. Pretty sweet. This also means there's lights on the bike, which go on and off automagically, but you can of course manually switch it on/off.

After registering with a credit card, you can connect your IC card instead (SUICA etc), which I've done, but after finishing, I didn't get any charge to my card. Maybe because it was the first time using it, so I'll get back when I've taken the next ride.

You give them your "phone email" when registering, so that you can get an email when you start and stop riding, but I've yet to get an email from them... so I'm wondering if it's actually working :/

Get started!

Go to the docomo cycle webpage and register.

I would suggest adding your IC card asap, since the unlocking/renting procedure will be so much faster and easier if you do.

You can read more about how to do that here.

Trains. So boring.
Trains. So boring.
... and you don't have to hang out with the drunks, even tho they're pretty funny.
... and you don't have to hang out with the drunks, even tho they're pretty funny.
Instead you get to see nice new sides of Tokyo
Instead you get to see nice new sides of Tokyo

Going to the office by train one way is ¥250, so almost ¥500 roundtrip. With the bike, which costs ¥150 for 30 minutes, I save about ¥200/day... not too bad, that's one extra piece of sushi. Yay, sushi!

... yes, I'm cheap right now. Trying to save money! Give me a break!