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Docomo Bikes

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Whim Customer Care
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Overview

This article discusses how a customer can use Docomo shared bikes via Whim. In this article you can find information on the following:

Using Docomo shared bikes

With Whim, you can rent and ride Docomo e-bikes in Kashiwa. At the moment, Docomo is exclusively available as part of MaaS monthly subscription. Therefore, you need to subscribe to one of the  MaaS plans in order to be able to use Docomo bikes via Whim.

Stations and bike availability

There is currently 1 bike station in Kashiwa with 20 bikes at 1 Mitsui Fudosan (MF) apartment building for apartment residents. This is a dedicated private bike fleet that is unavailable to non-residents of MF apartments.

How to reserve a bike

  • Choose bikes from the Whim home view.

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  • See the locations of the bike stations and available bikes.
    • see the distance to the station, 
    • Number of available bikes at the station
    • Bike number search for each available bike
    • Check battery level on Bike

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  • MaaS subscriber: When you are at your property, you only see your private bike station first.
    • If there’s no private bike available, the public stations around you will show up when you are still at your property.
    • When you’re not at the property, you will first see the public bike stations closest to you. 
    • If you are curious to know what bikes are available at your property, simply press the “Home” button on the map. 
  • Select a specific bike you wish to rent by tapping “select bike”.  
  • Check the battery level on the bike (small screen on the handlebar) before renting. 
  • Tap “reserve bike” and make sure to read the T&Cs before proceeding.
  • You will be directed to “Payment view and price” details

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  • You will receive a 4-digit unlock PIN (1-time use per rental). When you scroll down, you will see information about ride safety, starting the bike, pausing the bike, Ending the bike, Support, what to do in case of Emergency, and pricing. 

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  • The pin code can be found in the “Active tickets view”

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  • Your bike is reserved for 20 minutes during which you can unlock it with the PIN code at any time. You can see a timer in Whim. If you don’t unlock the bike during the 20 min period, your reservation will automatically expire and you will not get charged. During this period you can also cancel the reservation any time free of charge by tapping the “Cancel”-button in the app. 

Picking up & riding the bike

  • Find the selected bike within 20 minutes by matching the bike number shown in Whim with the number shown at the back of the bike. 
  • Turn on the power at the bike station and check the remaining power
  • Press "start" on the control panel at the rear of the bicycle & enter the one-time PIN code shown in Whim to unlock the bike.
  • The bike lock opens
  • Find rental instructions (wear a helmet: is required for kids, and recommended for adults), be at least 140cm tall for a regular model & at least 155 cm for road bikes, no age restriction, etc.) and usage rules by scrolling down in the “ride view”. 

Pricing

While riding, you can see a timer with the elapsed rental time. 

With a Prop MaaS subscription: The colour of the timer will change if you use the bike for longer than the 2h, which are included for free in the subscription. 

If you ride > 2 hours, you will be charged X Yen/30 min

Pausing the ride and resuming the ride:

  • Manually lock the bike with the key at the rear of the bicycle ( fee will continue to be charged while the bike is temporarily parked)
    • You will get notified via email (sent by Docomo) that bike is locked
  • Resume the ride by pressing “start"  on the control panel and Enter the PIN to unlock and continue your ride.
  • If the key has an orange knob, lock the bike while pressing the orange knob.

Ending and returning the bike

  • You have to return your bike to the same station which you rented it from.

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  • Manually lock the bike with the rear Wheel key
  • Press “enter” on the control panel
  • When the return is complete and successful, you will see “returned” on the control panel.
  • See the trip details in the “bike returned” in the “my trips” view. You can also email yourself a receipt. 

Question and Answers

What Docomo bike models will be available through Whim?

There will be 2 different models available in Whim.

  • PAS CITY-C / General type (more details here). Most bikes in Whim will be this type.
  • PAS BRACE / Road bike type (more details here ). Only limited availability.

What are the user requirements to use the bike?

Docomo has no age restrictions. However, the user must be at least 140 cm in height for PAC CITY-C bike and must be at least 155 cm for PAC Brace bike. More information can be found here 

Is there a maximum duration of rental or can I keep the bike for as long as I want? 

Technically there is no maximum duration of the bike rental. 

Is there a penalty fee if the user keeps the bike for longer than what is allowed or will he/she simply get charged the rental price for the hours that he/she has been using the bike?

There are no maximum durations, thus no penalty fees. But you will likely receive a call once we notice that your bike time use is unusually long.

What do I do if there's no space for a bike at a station? Can I return the bike at the station without docking it into the bike rack?

If the bike is left within the range of the beacon, you can return the bike without docking it into the bike rack. 

What happens when the bicycle runs out of battery?

Bikes can be moved without batteries, so we advise that you continue your trip using the bicycle as a normal bicycle without motor assistance and move it to the nearest station. In case of exceptions, the Docomo will move the bike, and we will charge the customer for the actual costs or some of the costs.

What do I do when the bike is stolen?

Please directly contact the Docomo administration secretariat (0570-783-677). Please note that in some cases actual expenses will be charged.

What do I do when I notice that the bike is broken before my rental starts?

Please directly send the following information via email Here to Docomo CC:

  • Date of discovery
  • Vehicle number (3 letters and 4-digit number written on the mudguard cover on the rear tire)
  • Port (bicycle parking) name

What happens if I park the bike somewhere wrong and I get a parking violation ticket?

The user should recover and return the bike. In the case, you don't and we recover the bike on your behalf, we will charge you for the actual cost.

What do I do in case of an emergency?

In case of an accident, 

  • Please make sure that all parties involved are safe.
  • Submit a report to the police (and call 119 if there are injured people),
  • Contact the Docomo support center directly (0570-783-677).
    All customers are covered by damage insurance for accidents that occur while they use the bicycle, but any costs not covered by the insurance must be borne by the customer.
  • Insurance premiums are included in the user fees for the rental service.
  • If you have an accident while using the bicycle, contact the support center and tell them:
    • the date and time, location of the accident.
    • how it happened
    • the info about the accident, etc.
  • Also, if necessary, contact the police and take measures as prescribed by law.
    If legal arrangements become necessary, you must take responsibility for fulfilling those requirements on your own. In addition to the above, if DOCOMO BIKESHARE suffers damage, for example, if we are sued by a third party and become liable for compensation, we may invoice you for that compensation

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