MyPowerbank hacks Santander bikes so London's homeless can charge their phones

Re:MyPowerbank hacks Santander bikes so London's homeless ca... by helpfulContrib on Sunday October 01, 2023 @08:58AM (#37725508)

Homelessness is a serious subject, especially in a city like London. The assumption that the homeless masses all have access to a powerbank, or a wall socket in one of the cities most notorious for class boundaries, is rather coarse.. perhaps you might at least think of it as more of a survival device for those who are using their bicycles to get far, far away from the grid ..

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:MyPowerbank hacks Santander bikes so London's homeless ca... by dmw_ng on Sunday October 01, 2023 @09:08AM (#37725591)

Plenty of locations that used to be BT phone boxes were replaced with pillars featuring WiFi and USB charging. Is this not pretty widespread?

This device seems a bit.. daft. Renting a Santander cycle costs 1.65 GBP. Add the high energy food required to supplement your diet after a 30 minute ride and this is looking closer to 3 or 4 quid for a phone charge, and that's before considering where the homeless person is going to securely stow their belongings while cycling. Luggage storage in Victoria is 5 GBP for 3 hours..

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:MyPowerbank hacks Santander bikes so London's homeless ca... by jebarker on Sunday October 01, 2023 @09:15AM (#37725635)

You don't have to pay to rent the bike. The homeless person attaches the devices and then peddles on it stationary in the dock.

[ Parent | on HN ]