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Bike-share with kiosks growing across country this summer

Several cities initiated rental bike programs, promoting health, a green alternative and ease of use.

September 19, 2010

Bike sharing programs that include kiosks as a central part of their business model counted several notable successes this summer, with the B-cycle partnership appearing to stake a claim as a leader in the field.

In late August B-cycle pointed to a third large city using its equipment when Des Moines joined Denver and Chicago by installing four bike-sharing kiosks. Louisville, Ky., is the next city on B-cycle's schedule, according to its website.

Montreal-based BIXI offers a similar service to B-cycle, launching its solar-powered stations in Minneapolis in 2009. BIXI operates 400 stations and 5,000 bikes in the territory of Montreal. It opened in July in London and plans to expand to Washington, D.C.

B-cycle is a partnership between Humana Healthcare, bicycle maker Trek and the advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The three say they joined to promote the bicycle as a "vehicle for positive health and environmental change as well as an important part of a community's transportation ecosystem."

In Des Moines, users can rent a bike for a day for $5, or get a membership for a month for $30 or for a year for $50. Members get the first hour's rental free, and then are charged $2.50 for each half-hour up to a maximum of $40 a day.

In a typical B-cycle station, there is one touch screen kiosk controlling about 10 locked bikes. The rider uses a credit card at the kiosk to rent the bike and unlock it. Regular riders seeking to skip the kiosk can obtain an RFID-enabled â€˜B-card' that is tapped on the lock to free the bike. The bikes must be returned to a kiosk station with an open dock. Riders supply their own helmet.

B-cycle says its vintage-style bikes have been built specifically for the program. The seat can be adjusted to fit anybody, and all bikes include lights and three speeds. Clothes won't get oily due to fenders, skirt guards and chain guards.

The 18 bikes in Des Moines are part of a pilot phase of the bike-sharing program operated by Des Moines Bicycle Collective and sponsored by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield, DriveTime Des Moines, the City of Des Moines, the Polk County Health Department, the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau, Polk County, Principal Financial Group, Nationwide and DART.

Carl Voss, chairman of the nonprofit Des Moines Bicycle Collective, told bikeradar.com that the city would like to have 100 bikes and 12 kiosks in downtown Des Moines by next summer.

Denver officially launched its bike share program on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. It now has about 500 bikes available for rent from 47 kiosks around the city. B-cycle officials have said the company hopes to double the size of the Denver program.

Chicago's program started this year with just half a dozen locations and 100 bikes along the city's lakefront, catering to locals and tourists. The goal is 30 stations by spring 2011.

B-cycle also has initiated smart phone applications, giving users of the iPhone or Android the option to check the location and real-time status of bikes at various local stations. The stations are displayed on a map, and when a station is tapped on the phone the number of available bikes at the station is shown.

In Chicago, software developer Amadeus Consulting worked with local manager Bike and Roll to create the enterprise kiosk for the city's program. Boulder, Colo.-based Amadeus reported it used Microsoft Silverlight to integrate with each kiosk's hardware. The program includes a Web interface and the smart phone applications. Bike riders can also see their mileage totals, calories burned and carbon offset.

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Bike-share with kiosks growing across country this summer

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