Part 1: Bike-sharing membership
You will hear a woman phoning a bike-sharing scheme to become a member.
Lời thoại bài nghe (transcript)
Daniel: Good morning, Wheelhouse Bikes membership line, Daniel speaking. How can I help?
Ines: Hi. I've just moved to the area and I'd like to join the bike-sharing scheme. I had a look at the website, but I'd rather do it over the phone, if that's all right.
Daniel: Of course, I can set that up for you now. Could I start with your name?
Ines: Yes, it's Ines Calloway.
Daniel: Is that Ines with one S at the end?
Ines: That's right. And the surname is spelt C-A-L-L-O-W-A-Y.
Daniel: Thank you. And your address, please?
Ines: It's flat 3, 14 Tanner Road. That's T-A-N-N-E-R.
Daniel: Tanner Road. That's just behind the old bus depot, isn't it?
Ines: Yes, that's the one. It's a new building, so sometimes it doesn't show up on maps.
Daniel: No problem, I've found it. Now, have you decided which type of membership you'd like? We have pay-as-you-go, monthly and annual.
Ines: I was thinking of the monthly one, because I'm not really sure how often I'll use it.
Daniel: A lot of people start with that. Can I ask what you'll mainly be using the bikes for?
Ines: Getting to work, mostly. It's about twenty minutes by bike, and I'd be doing it every weekday, there and back.
Daniel: In that case, I'd say monthly would actually cost you more. It's twelve pounds a month, so over a year that comes to one hundred and forty-four pounds.
Ines: Oh, I hadn't worked that out. So the annual membership would be cheaper?
Daniel: Much cheaper. The usual price is ninety-six pounds, but this month there's a special offer for new members, so it's just 84 pounds.
Ines: 84 pounds. OK, I'll go for annual, then. Can I pay for it in instalments?
Daniel: I'm afraid not at the offer price. It has to be a single payment.
Ines: That's fine. What do I actually get for that?
Daniel: Well, with annual membership, the first 45 minutes of every ride are free. Monthly members only get thirty minutes, so that's another advantage for you.
Ines: And what happens if I keep a bike longer than that?
Daniel: Then there's a charge of one pound per hour, or for part of an hour. So if you kept a bike for an extra hour and a half, you'd pay two pounds.
Ines: That sounds reasonable. What about helmets? I don't actually own one yet.
Daniel: We don't leave helmets at the docking stations, because they tend to disappear. But members can borrow one free of charge from the sports centre on Mill Street. Oh, sorry, no, they stopped doing that last year. It's the library on Queen Street now. You just show your membership card at the desk.
Ines: The library. Great. I noticed on the website that some of the bikes are electric. Are those included too?
Daniel: They are, but there's a small extra charge of fifty pence each time you take one out. When the scheme started, they were only at the stations in the city centre, but now there's at least one at every station. And you don't need to reserve them. If there's one available, you can just take it.
Ines: That's useful, because there's a hill on my way to work. And what should I do if there's a problem with a bike, say a flat tyre?
Daniel: Some people phone us, and that's fine, but the quickest way is through the app. There's a button with a little spanner on it. You press that, and the bike is locked so nobody else can use it until a mechanic has checked it. Please don't just leave a note on the seat. They usually blow away.
Ines: OK. And how will I get my membership card? Will you post it to me?
Daniel: Normally we would, but that takes about a week. As you want to start straight away, I'll send a code to your phone instead. You type it into the screen at any docking station, and the machine will print your card for you there and then.
Ines: Perfect. I'll pick it up on my way to work tomorrow, then.
Daniel: Great. I'll just take your payment details, and then you're all set.
