List of bicycle-sharing systems

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

This is a list of bicycle-sharing systems, both docked and dockless. As of December 2016, roughly 1,000 cities worldwide have bike-sharing programs.[1][2][3][4]

Bicycle-sharing systems

[edit]

The following table lists bicycle-sharing systems around the world. Most systems listed allow users to pick up and drop off bicycles at any of the automated stations within the network (denoted as 3 Gen.). Other generations are described at Bicycle-sharing system, section Categorization.

Europe

[edit]

The advertising company JCDecaux launched its "Cyclocity" programs initially in Vienna,[415] Austria in 2003 and in Lyon, France in 2005. The company also started programs in other cities in Europe such as Paris, Córdoba, and Kazan, as well as cities outside of Europe, such as Brisbane, Australia. Smart cards are used to pay for use of the bikes.

Competitor Clear Channel, then operating as Adshel, opened the first example of this in Rennes in 1997, and has several other sites including Oslo, Stockholm, Sandnes and Trondheim, most generally similar to that offered by their competitor.

A different financial model called bicing is used in Barcelona, which is paid for by car owners parking on public streets and not by advertising – which is contracted to JCDecaux in some places.[416]

France

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French cities not included in the list above offering a bicycle-sharing system include Lorient, Annemasse, and Aix-en-Provence.

Netherlands

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In 1965, the group Provo painted fifty bicycles white and scattered them unlocked in downtown Amsterdam for everyone to use freely.[4] The bicycles were both stolen as well as impounded by the authorities, as a city ordinance forbade leaving unlocked bikes in public places.[417][418]

In September 1997, a pilot project for a public share system, based on the UK's Grippa racks was established in Rotterdam for use by commuters but it was terminated the following year due to poor functionality of the electronic bike racks.[419]

Norway

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The first Norwegian bicycle-sharing system was introduced in Sandnes[420] in 1996.[421] It consisted of 225 green DBS bikes that were free to use in the fashion of a first generation bicycle-sharing system. The Sandnes system was converted to a third generation automated system in 2002.[422] In 1998, Trondheim introduced a second generation system with 200 bicycles modeled after that of Copenhagen's. The Trondheim system was converted into a third-generation system in 2005.

The following cities are known to have city bike arrangements. Some are prepaid automatic (for example Oslo), and some are manual (Tønsberg). In 2001, Drammen introduced a third-generation system together with Clear Channel.[421] Bergen, the second-largest city in Norway, has occasionally had city bikes, and as of 2018 and 2019 opened a new and improved system based on the system in Oslo together with OBOS [no] and Urban Infrastructure Partner.[423]

  • Bergen
  • Drammen
  • Oslo - Oslo Bysykkel (249 rental hubs as of April 2021[424])
  • Sandnes (no longer operating, now served by kolumbus bysykkel))
  • Rogaland - Kolumbus Bysykkel (Covers several municipalities in Rogaland for example Stavanger and Sandnes). it is managed by the transit agency of Rogaland and is integrated in the transit ticketing app and you get 15 minutes for free if you have a ticket.[425]
  • Trondheim
  • Tønsberg

Portugal

[edit]

Portugal has several bike-share systems implemented in various cities and towns. The largest is Lisbon's GIRA public bike share system,[426] a hybrid system currently operating with 700 pedelec and conventional bicycles served by 91 stations. As of 2021, a large expansion of Lisbon's bike share system is underway, expected to duplicate both fleet and coverage.[427] Other systems with reasonable urban coverage for the size of their operating areas are those of Vilamoura with 260 bicycles and 43 stations,[268] Torres Vedras with 260 bicycles and 20 stations,[428][266] and Vila do Conde with 60 bicycles and 12 stations.[267] The town of Cascais with Portugal's second largest bike-sharing system has a relatively adequate geographical coverage of the municipality, but operating hours are limited (from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.), some stations have few or no bicycles available for long periods of time, and operations were suspended during 15 months, from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020[429] until June 2021, when the system was gradually reactivated. Other systems are being implemented in various towns nationwide, mostly in towns along the central and northern coastal areas[430] and in the Azores.[431]

Romania

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Timișoara is the first Romanian city to introduce a public rent-a-bike system. The scheme is called VeloTM and has 25 stations and 300 bikes. The rent-a-bike system works with the RATT card. Renting a bike is free; however, there is a fee for the card.[432]

Russian Federation

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VeloBike bicycles in Moscow.

Automated public bicycle-sharing systems in Russia operate in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Almetyevsk (Republic of Tatarstan). The system in Moscow is steadily expanding each year[433] while the systems in Saint Petersburg and Kazan are struggling to survive.[434][435] The system in Almetyevsk is dockless with about 300 pre-marked parking lots across the town where the bicycles must be left after use.[436] A couple of smaller-scale dockless systems are deployed in Adlersky City District in Sochi.[437][438]

Moscow

The Velobike system debuted in 2013. In 2015 it was fully replaced by the Smoove-based solution using B'TWIN bicycles.[439][440] In 2018 there were 430 parking stations in the system with 4300 bicycles. There were 424,736 registered users and 4.25 million trips taken that year.[433]

Saint Petersburg

In 2020 the Smart Bike system was launched in Saint Petersburg.

Other cities

In 2020 Velobike opened in Murmansk, making it the northernmost bicycle-sharing system in the world. There are 10 stations in the city centre. In August 2020 Velobike opened in Nizhny Novgorod.

Mobee network

The Russian-based Mobee bike-sharing company operates a few dockless bicycle-sharing networks. As of 2019, it has opened in three cities: Sochi, Volgograd and Saratov.[441][442]

Slovakia

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In 2001, the not-for-profit organization BiCyBa released white bicycles into public use in Bratislava, Slovakia. During the next three months, all the bikes were stolen or destroyed and the project was cancelled.[443]

In 2013, a new community-run bike-sharing program in Bratislava called White Bikes commenced service with about 100 bikes (donated by the local Rotary Club[444]) and over 60 stations as of December 2017.[445] It is built on the Open Source Bike Share System[446] based on SMS and a web app. It was started in 2013 by BikeKitchen initiative and cycling advocacy NGO Cyklokoalicia. There is no fee; membership is granted after initial introduction and training. Bikes are available year-round.

The official Bratislava city bike-sharing system Slovnaft Bajk was launched on 7 September 2018[447] in cooperation with Slovnaft. It initially offered under 100 bicycles at around 80 stations.[448] The number of bicycles increased to around 190 later, but users complained about the UX, broken bicycles, and the rental process. An estimated 23%[449] of bicycles were non-functional or inaccessible for rental. Another free-floating bike sharing system, Rekola, from Czechia was launched in September 2020.[450]

The first commercial bike-sharing system in Slovakia was launched in 2016 in the city of Prievidza. Zelený bicykel (Green bicycle) has 19 stations and was expected to add 10 more in 2018.[451] Bikes are not available during the winter season.[452]

Public transportation company Arriva launched a bike-sharing system in Nitra in 2017. It is a complementary service for bus riders. It features seven docking stations. The price is €25 per year, €3 per day or €0.50 per hour.[453][454] Bikes are not available during the winter season.

Another commercial floating bike-sharing system was launched by a telecom provider, Antik Telecom, in Košice in May 2019. They introduced their system to the districts of Rača[275] and Vajnory[455] in Bratislava in June 2020.

Spain

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Bicing in Barcelona.

The Ayuntamiento de Burgos[456] runs a bike-sharing program in BiciBur,[457] with 23 locations, most with positions for ten bikes. Membership is €15 per year.[457]

Sweden

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The Stockholm City Bikes system has more than 80 stands and 1,000 bikes. The system functions from April to October.[458]

The bike sharing system in Gothenburg, known as Styr & ställ, was launched in August 2010. The system has 60 stations and 1,000 bikes.[459]

Switzerland

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A bicycle sharing station in Lausanne (Switzerland).

Switzerland possesses several bicycle-sharing systems including PubliBike, Smide, and oBike, which was launched in Zurich on 5 July 2017.[460]

The PubliBike network consists of more than 500 stations and 5000 Bikes throughout the country.[461] It includes nine stations on the Lausanne campus.[462] oBike is said to have deployed 350 bikes in the city of Zurich at a rate of CHF 1.50 for 30 minutes, with a required CHF 129 deposit.[463] The city of Zürich also has a free bike-rental program, "Züri rollt", with several pick-up and drop-off locations.[464]

United Kingdom

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England

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In 1993, a Green Bike Scheme bike sharing programme was initiated in Cambridge, United Kingdom, using a fleet of some 300 bicycles. The overwhelming majority of bicycles in the fleet were stolen or missing within a year of the programme's introduction, and the Green Bike Scheme was abandoned.[465][466][467]

In an attempt to overcome losses from theft, bike sharing programmes adopted a so-called 'smart technology'. One of the first 'smart bike' programmes was the Grippa™ bike storage rack system used in Portsmouth's Bikeabout scheme.[468][469][419] The Bikeabout scheme was launched in October 1995 by the University of Portsmouth, UK, as part of its Green Transport Plan in an effort to cut car travel by staff and students between campus sites.[469] The Bikeabout scheme was a "smart card" fully automated system.[469][419][470] For a small fee, users were issued 'smart cards' with magnetic stripes to be swiped through an electronic card reader at a covered 'bike store' kiosk, unlocking the bike from its storage rack.[469] CCTV camera surveillance was installed at all bike stations in an effort to limit vandalism.[469] Upon arriving at the destination station, the smart card was used to open a cycle rack and record the bike's safe return.[469] A charge was automatically registered on the user's card if the bike was returned with damage or if the time exceeded the three-hour maximum.[469] Implemented with an original budget of approximately £200,000, the Portsmouth Bikeabout scheme was never very successful in terms of rider usage,[b] in part due to the limited number of bike kiosks and hours of operation.[469][470] Seasonal weather restrictions and concerns over unjustified charges for bike damage also imposed barriers to usage.[469] The Bikeabout program was discontinued by the university in 1998 in favour of expanded minibus service; the total costs of the Bikeabout programme were never disclosed.[471][472] Following the discontinuation of the University of Portsmouth's Bikeabout programme in 1998[473] (it had been launched in 1996),[474][475] the introduction of new bicycle share systems proceeded more slowly in the United Kingdom than in the rest of Europe.

Barclays Cycle Hire, London, UK started in 2010.

In 2007,[476] (another source gives early 2008) London mayor Ken Livingstone promised that an extensive bicycle-sharing system modelled on the Paris Vélib' system would be introduced in London during his final term in office.[477] The scheme was not completed until Boris Johnson was in office, and consequently became known informally as "Boris Bikes".[478] With initial sponsorship from Barclays and later Santander, Transport for London launched the scheme in 2010. Hire under 30 minutes is free from special bicycle stands across the city, after a daily, monthly, or annual charge has been paid.[479]

Outside London, the largest bicycle-sharing scheme is the hire-a-bike operation in Blackpool, operated by Hourbike,[480] with 60 stations and 500 bikes. This scheme uses both RFID membership cards and instant point-of-sale memberships for both residential users and visitors. Hourbike also has schemes in Lincoln, Reading, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Southport in England as well as Dumfries, Scotland.[481]

In 2017, ofo, a Beijing-based bike share company, announced plans to provide shared bike services to several British cities. In 2018, the company withdrew service to several British towns and reduced service area coverage to others as part of a global restructuring plan.[482]

In May 2017, Bristol became the first European city to have a hire-a-bike system operated by YoBike.[483][484]

Some bike-sharing schemes use mobile phone apps to reserve or sign out bikes. In the UK, OYBike ran small-scale operations at two universities, three business parks, three London boroughs, and a private hotel chain in London until 2011. Like Munich's Call-a-Bike, OYBike used mobile phone technology to log use and charge for hires and could set up hire points in as little as 10 minutes.[485]

Brompton Bike Hire has 40 docks across 25 major locations in the UK, starting at £2.50 for 24 hours. It uses the same hardware as BIXI Montréal, and members can rent a folding Brompton bike. The locations of the docks include London, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Reading, Southampton, and Oxford.[486]

In 2018 the Singaporean-based company oBike launched in London, with 400 dockless bikes and was anticipated to spread to other cities in the UK.[487][488] In the UK, oBike's bike hire is 50p for 30 minutes, with a required £49 deposit.[487][489]

In June 2019, bicycle light company Beryl launched a dockless cycle share scheme in Bournemouth and Poole, which was extended to Christchurch the following year.[490][491] Beryl also operates schemes in Hereford, Norwich, Watford and the Isle of Wight.[492]

In June 2021, Transport for Greater Manchester announced Beryl as the delivery partner to design, install and operate a 24/7, docked public cycle hire scheme made up of an initial 1,500 bikes and e-bikes at over 200 docking stations across Manchester, Trafford and Salford, in Greater Manchester.[327] The scheme was scheduled to launch in November 2021.[493]

Northern Ireland

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Belfast launched a public bike hire scheme on 27 April 2015. The scheme was sponsored by Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland and is called Coca-Cola Zero Belfast Bikes. The Department for Regional Development (DRD) provided initial capital funding for the scheme as part of their Active Travel Demonstration Projects budget. NSL oversees the daily operation of the scheme, while Nextbike is responsible for the bikes.[494] There are 33 docking stations with options for expansion depending on securing additional resources and council approval.[495][496]

Scotland

[edit]

Recent expansions to cities in Scotland included Glasgow and Stirling.[497][498][499] Stirling's scheme was named "Pedalforth" following a competition in the community and comprises 100 bikes and 11 stations. Glasgow was provided with 400 bikes across 31 stations in 2014.[500] In addition to this, in 2018, Edinburgh launched its own cycle hire scheme in partnership with Just Eat, titled Just Eat Cycles.

Wales

[edit]

Cardiff

Nextbike started a public bike hire scheme operating in Cardiff on 26 March 2018, with five docking stations and 50 bicycles.[501] The original plan was to have the public bike hire scheme operating in Cardiff by Autumn 2017[502] and to have 500 cycles at over 50 docking stations in the city.[501] It came six years after OYBike ended a smaller scheme (with 10 stations), following the council's withdrawal of funding in 2011.[502] On the 7th of December 2023 it was announced that Nextbike would be discontinuing the scheme on the 31st due to vandisation and theft.[citation needed]

Swansea

Santander began a bike sharing scheme in Swansea in the summer of 2018.[503] Initially, there were five docking station, with a sixth later being added in Mumbles. The scheme has proven popular and there are prospects of expanding the service in the city.

North America

[edit]

Canada

[edit]

Montréal, QC

[edit]
BIXI Montréal, Quebec (Canada).

The first widely deployed bicycle-sharing system in Montréal was BIXI Montréal, launched in 2009.[504] It expanded to 6200 bicycles at 540 stations,[505] making it the largest bicycle-sharing system, alongside the one in Toronto. Although initial program costs were $15 million for planning and implementation of the Bixi project, subsequent expenses incurred in expanding the program have driven costs upwards of $23 million.[506][507][508][509] The system was developed by PBSC Urban Solutions along with a consortium of vendors. The BIXI technology was later used in bike sharing systems in North America, Europe and Australia. The Montreal system was ranked by Time magazine as the 19th best invention of 2008.[510] As of 2024, Bixi has more than 10,000 bikes, 2 600 of which are e-bikes and 900 stations.[511]

Quebec City, QC

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àVélo launched in 2021 with 100 pedal assist bikes and 10 stations. As of 2023, àVélo has 780 pedal assist bikes and 74 stations.[512]

Hamilton, ON

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Sobi Hamilton launched in March 2015 with 750 bicycles at over 100 stations.[37]

Ottawa, ON

[edit]

The Bixi system was implemented in June 2009 in Ottawa/Gatineau as Capital Bixi. It launched in 2009 as a pilot program with 100 bicycles and 10 stations. In 2012, it was expanded to 250 bicycles and 25 stations. Its owner, the NCC, sold it to US-based CycleHop in April 2014 when its operator, Montreal-based Public Bike System Company, filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2014.[513][514] CycleHop renamed the service to VeloGo and replaced the fleet with 'smart' bicycles, where GPS tracking is built into each bicycle, instead of relying on base stations, as with Bixi system. VeloGo began its service in the summer of 2015.[515]

Toronto, ON

[edit]

From 2001 to 2006, BikeShare, operated by the Community Bicycle Network (CBN) in Toronto, was for a time the most popular community bicycle-sharing program in North America. BikeShare was intended to overcome some of the theft issues by requiring yearly memberships to sign out any of the 150 refurbished yellow bikes locked up at 16 hubs throughout central Toronto. At its height, over 400 members could sign out a bike from any hub for up to three days. The hubs were located at stores, cafes, and community centres where the staff would volunteer their time to sign bikes out and in.[516] Despite steadily increasing administrative, implementation, and maintenance costs, CBN could only charge users around 20 percent of actual costs, as users were unlikely to spend more than $50 per year for a membership. Without sufficient funds in the form of private and government grants, CBN discontinued BikeShare in 2006.[517]

Bixi Toronto launched in 2011 with 800 bicycles at 80 stations.[518] In 2013, when Public Bike System Company acknowledged that it could not repay its $3.9 million loan to the city, the system was taken over by the Toronto Parking Authority and renamed Bike Share Toronto.[519] In 2016, the city of Toronto signed a contract with PBSC to expand their system. Its network hosts 6,850 bicycles spread among 625 stations.[520][521]

Vancouver, BC

[edit]

In July 2016, Vancouver installed a bike sharing system, Mobi, operated by CycleHop Corp.[522] Mobi launched with 1500 bicycles at 150 stations.[523]

Victoria, BC

[edit]

In September 2017 a dockless bike share became available in the city of Victoria, starting with 150 bicycles.[39] The dockless bike share was operated by U-Bicycle, but disappeared from the city's streets after a couple of years.[524]

Edmonton, AB

[edit]

From 2005 to 2008, a largely unregulated bike sharing program was operated by the Peoples' Pedal organisation in Edmonton, Alberta. The program suffered from high theft and vandalism rates, with 95% of the bikes that had been placed into service stolen or missing by 2008.[525]

Costa Rica

[edit]

Cartago, east of San José, Costa Rica, started a bikeshare program in 2017.[526][527]

Mexico

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Ecobici bicycles in Mexico City.

Mexico City

[edit]

Ecobici is one of the world's largest bicycle-sharing programs, with 452 stations covering a 35-square-kilometre (14 sq mi) area.[528][529]

In February 2010, the government of Mexico City inaugurated a bicycle-sharing network called Ecobici.[530] With distinctive red and white liveried bicycles, the network as of February 2015 consists of 444 stations with 6,500 bicycles.[531] With more than 240,000 registered users, it has been argued that Ecobici is the largest bicycle-sharing program in North America.[532] The system is run by the private company Clear Channel México,[533] but funded by the government with an initial investment of 75 million pesos. Users of the system are required to purchase an RFID card at a cost of 400 pesos which provides them with access to the bicycles for one year. Use of a bicycle is free for the first 45 minutes; extra charges are applied for use beyond the time limit.

Guadalajara

[edit]

In December 2014, the government of the State of Jalisco implemented a bicycle-sharing system called MiBici with 86 stations and 860 bicycles.[534] As of August 2021, it has 300 stations with 3,200 bicycles.[535] This system uses the technology and the hardware of PBSC.[536]

Toluca

[edit]

In November 2015, the Municipality of Toluca inaugurated a bicycle-sharing system called Huitzi with 26 stations and 300 bicycles, using PBSC as a provider.[537][538]

Pachuca

[edit]

In February 2016, the Municipality of Pachuca inaugurated a bicycle-sharing system called Bici Capital with six stations and 140 bicycles.[539]

Puebla

[edit]

Beginning in January 2017, Puebla was scheduled to have a system called Bici Puebla with 139 stations and 2,100 bicycles.[540]

United States

[edit]

In the United States, public bicycle share programs have largely centered around major cities and universities.[541] Some corporate campuses have private systems.[542] According to a report by the National Association of City Transportation Officials, a total of 35 million bike-share trips took place within the United States in 2017 across 100 bike-share systems across the country, operated by eight companies.[543] Seattle led the way with a dockless bike sharing system in the U.S. in the summer of 2017, and other cities soon joined the ranks. Nine months later, about 44% of rides were dockless.[543] The bikes became controversial in various cities;[544] Dallas reportedly had 20,000 bikes on the streets,[545] they were essentially banned in New York City and San Francisco,[546] with Austin, Texas issuing emergency rules for their implementation.[547]

Bikes Belong (Dem/Rep Conventions), 2008

[edit]

In 2007, Bikes Belong (now known as PeopleForBikes), an advocacy group financed by major bicycle manufacturers, worked with city officials, local advocates, and the healthcare firm Humana to bring bike sharing to the Republican and Democratic 2008 conventions. Called "Freewheelin!" the program offered 1,000 bicycles at 12 stations throughout the downtowns of the host cities, Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul, over the five days of each convention. Bikes Belong's stated goal was to provide a proof-of-concept that large-scale bicycle sharing that had gained popularity in European cities could work in U.S. cities and provide a valuable addition to the transportation mix. The program was popular among conventioneers and helped the city of Denver to create a narrative around the "green" attributes of the convention. Both Denver and Minneapolis successfully pursued permanent bike sharing systems, with Denver B-cycle launching on 22 April 2010 as the first of its scale in the U.S., followed by Minneapolis' NiceRide system launching on 10 June 2010.[548]

Aspen/Basalt, CO

[edit]

The system was launched in 2013 with 16 stations and 200 bikes with provider PBSC.[549][550]

Albany, NY

[edit]

In 2017, CDPHP Cycle! launched in Albany and three other Capital region cities.[551] The bikes can be locked to official docks or any other rack for a slightly higher fee.[552] The system is operated by CDTA.[552]

Alpharetta, GA

[edit]

Alpharetta offered a bike share program operated by Zagster. Trips under three hours were free, and annual memberships were $20. Bikes could be rented from four stations throughout Alpharetta.[553] Bikes could be taken anywhere, including Alpharetta's Big Creek Greenway– a 12-foot wide concrete path that stretches eight scenic miles terminating in Big Creek park.[554] The service was suspended late May 2020 due to a large-scale Zagster shutdown, and all bicycles and stations were removed.[555][556]

Atlanta, GA

[edit]

In June 2016, Relay Bike Share launched as the bike share system for the City of Atlanta. The program, operated by Cyclehop and Social Bicycles, launched with 100 bicycles at 10 stations throughout the downtown area. The program aimed to offer 500 bicycles across the city by the end of 2016.[557]

Austin, TX

[edit]

In December 2013, Austin B-cycle was launched as the bike share system for the City of Austin with 11 stations.[558] Austin B-cycle set a national bike share record for the most checkouts per bicycle in a single day, 10.1 checkouts per bike, on 14 March 2015 during the SXSW festival.[559] In July 2020, Capital Metro and the city of Austin finalized a partnership to improve Austin's mobility network utilizing the city-owned BCycle bike share system. This partnership, now called Metrobike, aims to create long-term bike share service improvements such as expanding the BCycle fleet and stations, optimizing the system's first and last-mile transit solution, improving services and reaching communities outside of the downtown core, and fully electrifying BCycle's fleet. As of March 2022, the MetroBike system operated more than 75 bike share stations with 800 bikes in the central Austin area.[560]

Baltimore, MD

[edit]

In May 2014, over 40 bicycles were stolen from Baltimore Recreation and Parks department's bike-share program. The bikes were stolen during the city's Ride Around Reservoir program in Druid Hill Park. The bikes were set up to be lent out when a group of youths took them. The cost of replacing the stolen bikes is devastating to the program, which operates completely on donations.[561][562]

Birmingham, AL

[edit]

Birmingham launched Zyp Bikeshare in October 2015. Annual memberships are $75, with monthly passes for $20, 3-day passes for $12, and daily passes for $6.[563] Zyp also offers discounted annual memberships to individuals who qualify. Zyp operates 400 bikes at 40 kiosks. Bikes can be ridden anywhere in the downtown Birmingham area. Once a bike is unlocked, riders have 45 minutes to ride before incurring additional fees if they have not docked at another station. As well as traditional bikes, Zyp was the first bike share in North America to have electric pedal-assist bikes to help riders cover distances or mount hills faster.[564]

Boston, MA

[edit]

In 2007, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Director of Bicycle Programs, Nicole Freedman, decided to bring bike sharing to the Boston area. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the regional planning agency for the metro-Boston region of 101 cities and towns, joined the effort. Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville also participated.

Boston Bluebikes station.

On 28 July 2011, Boston launched its 60-station, 600-bike Hubway system, sponsored by the shoe manufacturer New Balance and funded in part by a $3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration. The contract to operate was awarded to Alta Bicycle Share and the equipment provider was PBSC Urban Solutions. Bicycle sharing was greeted with a mix of excitement and skepticism. In its first two and a half months, Hubway recorded 100,000 station-to-station rides. After recording 140,000 trips in four months, Boston's European-style bicycle-sharing system expanded outside city limits, planting stations across Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline.

In the spring of 2018 Motivate the operator of the system changed sponsors from Hubway to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and officially changed the name of the bike share program to Bluebikes Boston.[565] As of December 2018, the system had deployed 262 stations with a fleet of over 2,500 bikes.[566]

Boulder, CO

[edit]
Solar powered Boulder B-cycle station with double sided docks. The system was launched in April 2010.

In May 2011, Boulder, Colorado launched a bicycle-sharing system, Boulder B-Cycle, with 100 bicycles and 15 stations. Like many in northern latitude cities, this system closes down during winter months to help preserve the life of the equipment.[567]

Broward County, FL

[edit]

Broward B-Cycle launched in December 2011 as the country's first county-wide bike share program, with 200 bikes and 20 stations located in several cities within Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale. This system was funded through a public-private partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation providing a $311,000 grant through Broward County, and B-Cycle's sponsors providing the remainder of the initial capital and operating costs.[568]

Buffalo, NY

[edit]

Reddy Bikeshare launched in 2016 with 200 bicycles at 35 stations around the city.[569]

Charleston, SC

[edit]

In August 2013, the College of Charleston's Office of Sustainability began a bike sharing program.[570] This program's 16 bicycles are free to use for all full-time students, faculty, and staff members.[571]

Charlotte, NC

[edit]

A system of B-Cycle stands is installed downtown and in a few places nearby.[382]

Chattanooga, TN

[edit]

In July 2012, the Bike Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System launched in Chattanooga, Tennessee with 300 bikes and 28 solar-powered stations by PBSC.[572] It was the first large scale bicycle transit system in the Southeast. The system has expanded to 33 stations and had recorded over 78,000 trips by its second anniversary.[573]

Chicago, IL

[edit]
Launched in 2013, Divvy is the bike sharing program for Chicago and the largest in North America.

On 28 June 2013, Chicago launched Divvy, a bike share system with 750 bikes at 75 stations.[574] As of September 2021, the system operates 16,500 bikes at over 800 stations,[575] using both PBSC's hardware and software.[576]

Cincinnati, OH

[edit]

In September 2014, Cincinnati Red Bike started operation. It opened with 35 docking stations downtown, Over the Rhine, the University of Cincinnati's main campus, and surrounding areas. In 2023 Red Bike has expanded to 66 stations with over 600 bikes and has a ridership of 100,000+ per year.[citation needed][577]

Cleveland, OH

[edit]

On 21 September 2016, Cleveland launched its UH Bike system, with 250 bicycles and 22 stations distributed around the city.[578][579]

Columbia, SC

[edit]

In September 2018, Columbia launched BlueBikeSC with BlueCross BlueShield SC being the chief sponsor.[580] In March 2019, the regions transit authority, The Comet (transit) expanded the bike share system adding 10 stations to the system with a $250,000 grant from the federal transit authority.[581]

Columbus, OH

[edit]

On 30 July 2013, CoGo Bike Share started in Columbus, Ohio. It opened with 300 bikes and 30 docking stations in downtown and surrounding areas,[582] all provided by PBSC and operated by Motivate.[583]

In the summer of 2015, Zagster launched a 115-bicycle, 15-station system on the Ohio State University campus. The university decided not to integrate with the city's CoGo system.[584] The Ohio State University announced plans to integrate electric assist bicycles as part of its bicycle share program launching in 2015.[585] The Zagster program at Ohio State University shut down in August 2018.[586]

Denver, CO

[edit]

On 22 April 2010, Denver became the first U.S. city with a large-scale smart-technology-enabled bicycle-sharing system with the launch of Denver B-cycle. The system launched with 45 stations and 450 bicycles throughout downtown, downtown-adjacent neighborhoods, and on higher-education campuses. Denver B-cycle's roots came from the "Freewheelin" bike sharing program which operated for 6 days during the 2008 DNC convention in Denver. In Denver, several B-cycle rental stations are located at RTD Light Rail Platforms. The Denver B-cycle program varies in cost depending on use. Fees range from $8 per day to $80 per year.[587]

Denver's B-cycle needed 7+12 months to reach 100,000 station-to-station rides.[588]

Des Moines, IA

[edit]

B-Cycle has partnered with the Des Moines Bicycle Collective, operating bike-sharing stations throughout the downtown core, East Village, Ingersoll, Sherman Hill, and Drake University neighborhoods. The system is in operation from 1 March - 30 November each year.[589]

Detroit, MI

[edit]

MoGo, a nonprofit affiliate of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, launched MoGo Bike Share in the Greater Downtown area with 430 bicycles across 43 stations on 23 May 2017.[590]

Eugene, OR

[edit]

PeaceHealth Rides is administered by JUMP Bikes (formerly Social Bicycles, and now owned by Uber) and is a partnership of the City of Eugene, Lane Transit District, and the University of Oregon. The system launched in downtown Eugene, the Whiteaker neighborhood, and the area around the University of Oregon with 300 bicycles across 36 stations in April 2018. PeaceHealth, a not-for-profit Catholic health system with 10 hospitals in three states including one hospital in Eugene, is the sponsor.[591]

Fargo, ND

[edit]

In March 2015, bicycle advocacy nonprofit Great Rides Fargo launched Great Rides Bike Share, a system with 101 bicycles at 11 stations.[384] The system was launched in partnership with North Dakota State University, where students are enrolled at no additional cost. It was the first system to include integrated card access for enrolled students.[592][593][385]

Fort Wayne, IN

[edit]

In April 2016, The city of Fort Wayne announced a small system in its downtown area.[594]

Fort Worth, TX

[edit]

On 22 April 2013, Fort Worth Bike Sharing, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, launched a B-cycle system consisting of 300 bikes and 30 stations serving Downtown, Near Southside, and Cultural District in Fort Worth, Texas.[595][596] Fort Worth B-cycle is included in a program called "B-connected" which allows members of over 15 participating B-cycle cities to use their annual memberships for free in other cities.[597]

Greenville, NC

[edit]

The City of Greenville and nearby Farmville launched the bike share system LimeBike in early 2018. It serves citizens as well as students of East Carolina University.[598]

Harrisburg, PA

[edit]

The City of Harrisburg launched the Harrisburg Bike Share in late 2017 with 55 bikes through Zagster. 93% of the proceeds benefitted a state nonprofit to prevent school dropouts.[599] In June 2020 the bike share program was shut down when Zagster ceased operations across the country.[600][601]

Honolulu, HI

[edit]

The City and County of Honolulu passed Bikeshare Resolution 14–35 on 14 March 2014. Bikeshare Hawaii, a local non-profit, operating as "Biki", started in June 2017 with about 100 stations and 1000 bicycles. During the first partial year, NACTO ranked Biki as the 8th most-ridden bike share service in the US. Biki reached 1 million rides after about 16 months of service. A 30% service expansion was undertaken in December 2018. The current service area extends from Iwilei to Waikiki / Diamond Head and mauka of H-I highway with about 1300 pedal bikes and over 130 stations. Biki had its first >100,000 ride month in October 2018 and had over 1 million rides during 2018. NACTO ranked Biki as the 6th most-ridden bike share service in the US for 2018. Biki chose PBSC's FIT model bicycle for its accessibility (lower weight and lower center of gravity), and as such has a much higher ratio of women riders (44%) than most US systems. Additionally, there is currently an independent small pilot program in Kailua (Hawai`i County) with three stations also utilizing PBSC equipment. This program received an additional small expansion grant in 2018.[602]

Indianapolis, IN

[edit]

On April 22, 2014, Indianapolis launched a public bike-share program called Indiana Pacers Bikeshare with 25 stations and 250 bikes.[603] On 5 September 2019, the program expanded to include 21 more stations and 275 more bikes, bringing the program total to 525 bicycles and 50 stations.[604]

Zotwheels Bike Share at the University of California, Irvine.
Zotwheels Bike Share at the University of California, Irvine.

Jersey City, NJ

[edit]

On 21 September 2015, the Citi Bike system that started in New York City in 2013 expanded across the Hudson River to Jersey City, New Jersey with 35 stations and 350 bikes. Even though Citi Bike Jersey City is independent of Citi Bike New York, one membership works for both systems.[605] The system experienced its first wave of expansion in July 2016 with 15 new stations and 150 additional bikes. The system currently boasts 50 stations with 500 bicycles throughout Jersey City.[606]

Kansas City, MO

[edit]

In 2012, Kansas City, Missouri launched Kansas City B-cycle in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield.[607] The system currently has 30 stations and over 200 bicycles reaching downtown, Union Hill, Westport, Plaza and as of Summer 2015, Brookside Trolley Trail. North Kansas City will be adding 3 more stations in spring 2017 as well as several more coming to Midtown KCMO.[608]

La Crosse, WI

[edit]

On 20 April 2021, Drift Cycle was launched with 40 bikes at 8 stations in downtown La Crosse. In 2022, the system was expanded and improved with new bikes, a new app and two new stations at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Gundersen Health System. With the relaunch on 21 April 2022, there are ten stations and 50 bikes.[609][610]

Los Angeles, CA

[edit]

On 7 July 2016, Los Angeles County launched Metro Bike Share,[611] a 1,400-bike system with equipment by B-Cycle, operated by Bicycle Transit Systems. It was the first North American system to be both branded as part of the public transit agency and accessible using the regional TAP card, though at the time of launch users were required to maintain separate accounts for each transit mode and pay separate fares.[612]

Lincoln, NE

[edit]

On 20 April 2018, BikeLNK was launched and as of 2019, is made up of 105 bicycles and 20 stations. The program has recorded over 70,000 trips in 18 months of usage.[370]

Madison, WI

[edit]

In 1996, Madison, Wisconsin, instituted its Red Bikes Project, a public bike sharing program. These red-painted bicycles were available for the use of the general public, primarily in the student areas of State Street between the University of Wisconsin campus and the Wisconsin State Capitol. Initially, the only rule regarding the use of a Red Bikes Project bicycle was that it was required to remain outside and unlocked, and thus available for any passerby. After a surge in bicycle thefts and vandalism, the program was modified to require a valid credit card and $80 in security deposits for both the bicycle and the now-mandatory bicycle lock.[613] The program is now only available seasonally, from spring (when all snow has melted) to 30 November.[614]

Manhattan, KS

[edit]

In 2015, the Green Apple Bikes bike-share system started in Manhattan, Kansas that makes single-speed cruisers available free for 4-hour periods. The program is funded by a consortium of businesses, and bicycles are maintained by volunteers.[615][616]

Memphis, TN

[edit]

On 23 May 2018, Explore Bike Share launched in Memphis, TN, and West Memphis, AR.[617][618] The system was launched with 60 stations and 600 bicycles serving portions of West Memphis, Downtown Memphis, Uptown Memphis, Midtown Memphis, South Memphis, and Orange Mound, with a plan to add another 30 stations and 300 bicycles in 2019. The system uses B-Cycle equipment.[619]

Miami and Miami Beach, FL

[edit]

In March 2011, DecoBike launched in Miami Beach, Florida.[620] The initial rollout of the program included "approximately 100 solar-powered stations and 1,000 custom-designed bikes available to residents and visitors."[357] This public bicycle sharing and rental program is owned and operated by DecoBike, LLC, a Miami-based company, and operates under a long-term agreement with the City of Miami Beach. The service is available to both residents and visitors: any adult with a major credit card can check out a bike to pedal to their next location. An iPhone app and an interactive map on the DecoBike website allow one to locate the nearest "station" and displays the number of bikes available and the number of free docking spaces in real time.[621]

Milwaukee, WI

[edit]

In August 2014, the City of Milwaukee in partnership with a local non-profit organization, Midwest Bike Share, launched Bublr Bikes[622] with 10 stations in downtown Milwaukee.[623] The system grew to 17 stations by Fall 2015, and now there are 50 stations in the City of Milwaukee[624] plus another 7 stations in the adjacent suburb of Wauwatosa[625](as of December 2016). Planning for additional stations within the City of Milwaukee is underway. Additionally, the adjacent communities of Shorewood and West Allis are expected to add around 7 stations each to the system in 2017.[626] In May 2019 a project to add an additional 26 stations to the existing 87 was announced, with plans to have the additional stations online by summer 2020.[627]

Minneapolis, MN

[edit]

In June 2010, Minneapolis initiated Nice Ride, one of the first examples of a large-scale municipal bike sharing program in the United States. Phase 1 included 700 bikes and 65 stations throughout Minneapolis[628] Due to popularity, the system was aggressively expanded into neighboring Saint Paul in 2011. As of 29 April 2012, Nice Ride had recorded a total of 330,000 trips, and a systemwide total of 1,330 bikes at 146 stations.[629] The system is provided by PBSC.[630] Minneapolis, Nice Ride needed six months to reach 100,000 station-to-station rides.[588]

New Paltz, NY

[edit]

The village of New Paltz, New York, home of SUNY New Paltz, has a bicycle lending program.[631]

New York City, NY

[edit]
Citi Bike opened in New York City in May 2013.

On Memorial Day, 27 May 2013, New York City started its privately funded Citi Bike program. It was the nation's largest when it began operation, but Washington, D.C.'s system has grown faster. It began with 6,000 bikes at 330 docking stations in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. According to the city vision OneNYC the city wants to expand it to 12,000 bikes and 750 docking stations in Manhattan, all of Brooklyn and Queens[citation needed]. By 29 May, on its third day of operation, the program had 21,300 individuals signed on as annual members.[632] As of June 2013 Citi Bike is the largest bike sharing program in the United States.[633] In August 2015, Citi Bike once again became the largest system in the United States with 400 stations.[634] Jump Bikes, a dockless electric bicycle-sharing system launched in the city in September 2017.[635]

Oklahoma City, OK

[edit]

On 18 May 2012, the City of Oklahoma City launched its bike share program known as Spokies. On 1 August 2014, Spokies became part of EMBARK, Oklahoma City's transit agency. The system has eight docking stations and 145 bikes throughout downtown Oklahoma City.[388]

Philadelphia, PA

[edit]
The Indego system in Philadelphia.

On 23 April 2015, the City of Philadelphia launched its privately funded Indego bike share program with 60 docking stations and 600 bikes, located in Center City, South Philadelphia, Northern Liberties, and University City.[636] It uses equipment by B-Cycle and is operated by Bicycle Transit Systems with a naming sponsorship from locally based health insurer Independence.[637]

Phoenix, AZ

[edit]

On 25 November 2014, Phoenix launched Grid Bike Share with 100 bikes at 27 stations.[638] It has since expanded to nearly 500 bikes at 48 stations and has plans to add another 200 bikes and 20 stations.[639] Mesa, AZ, joined the system in March 2016, with 100 bikes at 14 stations, with plans to add another 200 bikes and 10–14 stations. Tempe, AZ, intends to join the three-city system in early 2017 with 300 bikes at 31 stations.[640] In early December 2020, GRID announced the closure of the Bike Share program on 31 December 2020[641]

Pittsburgh, PA

[edit]

On 31 May 2015 Pittsburgh, during an Open Streets day, launched its Healthy Ride bike share program with nextbike hardware. The system launched with 50 docking stations and 500 bikes located in Downtown Pittsburgh, South Side Flats, North Shore, Strip District, Lawrenceville, Oakland, Bloomfield, and Shadyside.[642][643] By 2022, there were 106 stations.

Healthy Ride was retired in 2022, and replaced with POGOH, using stations and bikes from PBSC. It launched with 38 stations and 350 bikes, split between mechanical and e-bikes. In 2023, they expanded to 60 stations and 600 bikes.

Portland, OR

[edit]

One of the first community bicycle projects in the United States was started in Portland, Oregon in 1994 by civic and environmental activists Tom O'Keefe, Joe Keating, and Steve Gunther. It took the approach of simply releasing a number of bicycles to the streets for unrestricted use. While Portland's Yellow Bike Project was successful in terms of publicity, it proved unsustainable due to theft and vandalism of the bicycles. The Yellow Bike Project was eventually terminated, and replaced with the Create A Commuter (CAC) program, which provides free secondhand bicycles to certain preselected low-income and disadvantaged people who need a bicycle to get to work or attend job training courses.[644]

On 19 July 2016 Portland launched Biketown,[645] a system with 1,000 GPS-enabled smart bikes sold by Social Bicycles and operated by Motivate with a $10 million, five-year naming sponsorship by Nike.[646] It was the continent's largest smart-bike system at the time of launch. The 100 stations covered 8.1 square miles but were concentrated most densely in downtown Portland and the Pearl and Northwest Districts.[647] Funding came entirely from a $2 million allocation of federal dollars approved by the Metro regional government, from Nike, and from ongoing user fees and smaller sponsorships.[648]

Salem, MA

[edit]

In 2011, the city of Salem, Massachusetts launched a bike share program called Salem Spins, offering the use of bicycles free of charge, for use around the city. The seasonal program was financed in part with a $25,000 grant for a fleet of 20 bicycles.[649] The program was offered from April to October until June 2020, when the city's private bike share partner Zagster shut down.[650]

Salt Lake City, UT

[edit]

On 8 April 2013, Salt Lake City launched GREENbike as the region's Bike Share brand. The program launched in downtown Salt Lake City with 10 stations and added two new stations less than four months later. The program will be expanding to 20 stations by 2014 with the goal of 100 stations in downtown Salt Lake City. Satellite GREENbike systems in cities such as Ogden are in the works and will be connected by the state transit authority's Frontrunner light rail train.[651]

San Diego, CA

[edit]

Though the City of San Diego signed a 10-year contract with Discover (formerly DECO) Bike in 2013, a docked bike-share, in January 2018 the city attorney Mara Elliot opined that the city's contract did not preclude other companies from operating within city limits, as long as there were "no city support or participation, other than legally required reviews and approvals."[652] Ofo and LimeBike began operating on 15 February 2018.[653] As of March 2018, Ofo, LimeBike, and Mobike offered dockless bike rentals within the city. LimeBike and Bird offer electric scooters, and LimeBike offered electric pedal-assist bikes as well.[654][655][656][657] However, there have been some concerns in high-pedestrian corridors.[658]

Due to a breach of contract (according to the city of San Diego), the City of San Diego withdrew the operations permit for the Discover Bike in March 2019 and thus ended docked bike share service in the city.[659]

San Francisco / Bay Area, CA

[edit]
The Bay Area Bike Share system began operating in the San Francisco Bay Area in August 2013.

In August 2013