The Dynamics of Public Participation in New Technology Transitions: The Case of Dockless Bicycle Hire in Manchester

摘要

New technologies are playing an increasingly important part in shaping thedevelopment of city transport and the wider built environment. Relatively litt leatt ention has, however, been given to how the technologies evolve in social andpolitical terms, so that the public are not just seen as the passive receivers of newtechnology. Technological transitions are not only about the technology, but alsoabout the social and political implications of innovation and how people respond tothe new mobility. Participatory exchange and the policy process are essential parts ofthat approach. This paper explores the dynamics of how a technological innovationfailed as a niche-innovation in terms of the socio-technical transitions framework.It uses the case study of the Mobike dockless bicycle hire scheme in Manchester toillustrate the reasons for failure. These included poor participatory practice in theearlier stages of the scheme, together with the inability of the innovator to respondappropriately through participatory exchange, including the direct participation ofthe public through the technology, in the implementation stage.