Insight
Advertising pays for free bike parking in the triple win model
Digital advertising screens let Locky Dock offer free bike parking and e-bike charging to councils and riders. This is how the triple win model works.
Insight
Public bike parking and charging help more than cyclists
When a city plans bike parking, it usually plans for cyclists. At the launch of Locky Dock's network in Whangārei, New Zealand, the team met someone the stations were never designed for.
He told them what the stations meant to him.
What did a mobility scooter user say at the Whangārei launch?
Locky Dock says New Zealand's Minister of Health attended the launch. A man arrived at the station on a mobility scooter, and Kirsten Corson, CEO of Locky Dock, tells the story.
"He said for him it's life changing, because he could never get across town to see his sister. But now he can stop and charge his mobility scooter at the Bikeep station, and he can now get to the other side of the city to see his sister, and then he charges on the way home as well." Kirsten Corson, CEO, Locky Dock
Kirsten's conclusion was short. "There's applications that we'd never thought of."
Why does charging matter beyond cycling?
A public charging point turns a one-way range into a round trip. For e-bike riders that means longer commutes. For mobility scooter users it can mean reaching family, shops or health services across town.
That is an accessibility case, and it sits next to the cycling case when you talk to a council. The man in Whangārei charged at a Bikeep station. Bikeep's smart stations with e-bike charging are the kind of station Locky Dock runs.
What benefits can planners point to?
Five benefits give a council something to put in a report, and the accessibility one is the easiest to overlook.
- Mode shift. Kirsten says theft is a major barrier to cycling, and secure parking addresses it. Our piece on how to pitch secure bike parking to a city council covers the argument.
- Local spending. A rider with a safe place to leave a bike has one less reason to skip the shops. Our piece on retailer partnerships shows how offers fill stations.
- Household savings. By Kirsten's figures an e-bike costs a small fraction of a car per kilometer. Our piece on e-bike vs car running costs has the numbers.
- Accessibility. Charging helps mobility scooter users travel further, as Whangārei showed.
- Usage data. The Bikeep platform records every parking session, so a council can see when and how much a station is used.
Councils weighing the wider case can start with the Bikeep page for cities.
Do communities welcome the stations?
"The community come and celebrate when we roll out Locky Docks," Kirsten says.
A launch is a chance to show residents what has changed. It is also a chance to collect stories like the one above, which make the case for the next station. Locky Dock had 101 stations in New Zealand as of 2026. Our earlier piece on Locky Dock and oOh!media in Whangārei covers the network there.
Who pays for a network like this?
In the Locky Dock model, advertising on the station screens pays. Riders park and charge for free, and Kirsten says the council pays nothing to install. We explain the model in how advertising funds free bike parking.
Operators who want to build a network in their own market can read about becoming a Bikeep partner.
Frequently asked questions
Who uses public bike charging stations?
E-bike riders, and as Locky Dock found in Whangārei, mobility scooter users. Kirsten says there are "applications that we'd never thought of."
Can a mobility scooter charge at a Bikeep station?
Kirsten describes a mobility scooter user charging at a Bikeep station in Whangārei. Check the charging setup of any planned site with the operator.
Do riders pay to park and charge?
Not at Locky Dock stations. Advertising funds them, and riders park and charge for free.
Can a council see how a station is used?
Yes. The Bikeep platform logs sessions, so usage data is available rather than guesswork.
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