The Bike-sharing World - the Last Week of May 2012

South America:
Brazil
                       São Paulo

Bike Sampa starts city-wide bike-sharing in Brazil's largest city -- São Paulo. As its sister program, Bike Rio's Samba, Sampa is a joint venture of Sertel, Mobilicidade, and sponsored by Banco Itaú. Although beginning with 100 bikes in six stations this week, the service plans to have 1,000 bikes in 100 stations by the end of the year and for 3,000 bikes by 2014. Initial sign up is online at bikesampa.com with a R$10.00 ($5.00 US) fee for a pass that is valid until March 2013. Each time a bike is taken out there is no charge for the first 30 minutes of use, then R$5.00 ($2.50 US) for each additional 30 minutes. There is a 15-minute wait time between each time a bike is returned before another can be taken again to avoid additional charges.

North America:

USA Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

The second bike-sharing system in Oklahoma debuted last week in Oklahoma City, called Spokies. The first, Tulsa Townies, was also the first 3rd generation system, albeit with a recreational focus, in North America (see the Bike-sharing Blog July 2007 and the Bike-sharing Blog August 2011). There are 95 Spokies in 6 stations. The system uses Sandvault stations and Worksman Bicycles. It is necessary to sign up online and the cost is $75 for a one-year membership, $20 for a one-month membership, and $5 for a day pass. There are unlimited 30-minute rides with no wait period after returning a bike before taking another. Each additional half hour of continual use is $2. Generally, North American bike-share systems are theft free, but within the first week, two men at a Spokie station swiped bikes instead of swiping their credit card. According to News 9, the two men were arrested and the bikes recovered.  

                      Chattanooga, Tennessee

Although scheduled to have launched (see the Bike-sharing Blog April 2012), technical difficulties have prevented deployment and use of the Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System. Membership sales have been suspended according to their website. News on the system can be followed on the Bike Chattanooga twitter account.

Asia:

Japan

                       Kanazawa

The west coast of Japan gets another bike-sharing system this month with introduction of Machi-Nori. Not far from Toyoma, this city with a population of 500,000 gets 155 bikes in 18 stations. Sign up is at any of the stations or a office where cash is accepted. A year membership cost is ¥9,000 ($114 US), a month membership is ¥1,000 ($12 US), and the day cost is ¥200 ($2.50US), with the first 30 minutes of use at no extra charge and each additional 30 minutes at ¥200. There is a very good set of English directions and Map for the system.

Europe:

Italy

                       Milan 

                      

BIkeMi is once again increasing its size. With 128 stations it is the largest city system in Italy. According to BikeMi, there have been in one day over 6,600 usages of the close to 1,500 bikes in the system.

images: Sampa - Renata Falzoni ESPN, Video NewsOK, Machi-Nori, Milan by Luca Volpi

Russell Meddin bikesharephiladelphia.org

Bike-sharing Blog Turns 5

Five years ago today The Bike-sharing Blog was born. In Blog years, similar to dog years, that's like 35 years old. It's unbelievable how much has happened in these last five years in the world of bike-sharing. Bike-sharing has spread like wildfire around the world and it's still got a long way to go. Once a handful of cities had it and now there are over 400, with more popping up every week, adding to this list. More carbon emissions are being saved, people are slimming down, and cities are becoming a bit friendlier. The Bike-sharing Blog has been viewed nearly 500,000 times and its companion piece, The Bike-sharing World Map has been viewed 2.3 million times.

Thank you to all those who visit The Bike-sharing Blog, comment on our posts, and contact us with breaking news from around the world. Also, thank you to Russell Meddin, my co-author, who is a fountain of knowledge and a prolific blogger.

Here's to another 5 years!

Paul DeMaio
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Bike-sharing Blog
Washington, D.C.

The Bike-sharing World - Second Week of May 2012

EUROPE:
Norway:
                     Drammen

May 2, 2012 brings back Bysykkel to the streets of Drammen, Norway after a long multi-year hiatus. This time 140 bikes and 15 stations are available for use in the city with the purchase of a kroner 90 ($15 US) subscription online.  Drammen Bysykkel was one of the first automated bike-sharing systems when launched in April 2001. Installed by Clear Channel just three years after its Vélo à la Carte in France, the system originally had 250 bikes and 28 stations. After the 2009 season, Bysykkel was suspended during negotiations between the City and Clear Channel. With everything settled, bike-sharing has returned to Drammen.


Switzerland:
This month brought the consolidation of bike systems in Switzerland with the purchase of Velopass by PostBus. Starting in 2009, Velopass began offering automated bike-sharing in Switzerland. Today it has 80 stations with 800 bicycles in 20 cities with 11,000 subscribers.

PostBus started service in August 2011 with PubliBike at rail stations to give passengers transport options. There are currently six locations with more planned for this year. The company's goal is to establish a system that integrates many cities so users may easily borrow bicycles with an electronic card valid across a national network. 


ASIA:
China:
                  Huangyan

                                    
Huangyan Public Bicycle Development Company in Huangyan District of Taizhou is debuting the design for its new integrated Bus-Bike station to be used in the expansion of this 5-month old program from 1,000 to 2,500 bicycles. The concept is to make seamless connections between the bike-sharing service and the bus service. Huangyan is not the only city integrating bus and bike stations. Yinchuan City which is in the process of planning a 4,000-bicycle bike-share system for early summer 2013, calls for constructing 200 integrated bus and bike stations. City governments throughout China with either older or newer bike-sharing systems are looking for totally integrated transportation systems with regular bus, bus rapid transit, and subways.


NORTH AMERICA:
USA
                 Houston, Texas

On schedule, Houston became the second city in Texas to institute bike-sharing. On May 2nd, Houston B-cycle began with 18 bikes in 3 stations with the promise of 200 more bikes by year's end for this auto-centric city. For just $50, a yearly subscription gives 45 minutes at no charge for each trip. A daily pass is offered at $5 and a weekly at $15. Each additional half hour will cost a user $2.
   
                  Chicago, Illinois
Just as the City of Chicago signs a $21 million contract with Alta Bicycle Share for a 3,000-bike, 300-station system. Crain's Business Journal and Chicago Reader are reporting that the Chicago Inspector General is considering looking into irregularities in the award process. Two of companies have filed formal protest to the award.


Canada
                    Toronto

Toronto bIXI celebrates if first anniversary with over 550,000 trips. Toronto has the distinction of being the only North American bike-sharing system north of the 43rd parallel to remain open through the winter months. It also has the distinction of being one of the most expensive systems to use, charging $95 CDN ($95 US) for a yearly subscription.


                      Montreal
This week the Métro system run by Société de Transport de Montréal, STM, came to a halt and Montréal bIXI came to the rescue. With a disruption of train service affecting 200,000 commuters, biXi swiftly put out more stations to help ease a commuter nightmare. Over 4,500 bIXI trips were taken between 8 AM - 10 AM during the shutdown.


Also out of Montreal are law suits between Public Bike System Company, PBSC, the makers of the bIXI system and its long-time back-end software suppliers 8D. According 8D's press release, they are suing PBSC for $26,000,000 for a business relationship dispute. PBSC states in it's press release that they are suing 8D for $2,500,000 for over-billing. 

Writing about STM, there is talk in the Montreal Gazette about STM taking over the management of Montréal's bIXI. The Gazette indicates that Michel Philibert, the bIXI spokesperson, believes there is "a certain logic" to STM running the bike-sharing program. 


There seems to be a lot going on in Montreal. So stay turned with The Bike-sharing Blog.

images: Clear Channel, PubliBike, Huangyan, russblib Houston BixiToronto

Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

Citi Bike by Citibank Will Be The Name of NYC Bikeshare

According to Bloomberg News, CitiGroup will sponsor New York City Bikeshare. With a promise of $41,000,000, Citigroup Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit, will offer 10,000 bikes branded with the New York-based bank’s logo at 600 docking stations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island City, Queens.


The Citi Bike pricing is announced as $95 for an annual pass, $25 for a 7-day pass, and $9.95 for 24-hour access. The first 30 minutes are at no extra charge, but the overage time escalates very sharply for every 30 minutes thereafter.

Also Bloomberg News is reporting that MasterCard will sponsor the system with $6,500,000 by providing bike-share stations with a “PayPass Tap & Go” payment option with the traditional magnetic-stripe terminals as part of its “Priceless New York” promotion.

In New York, London, and Rio de Janeiro, you can bank on the bike-sharing!

images: Gothamist, CitiBike Doppelganger

Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

The Bike-sharing World - Last Week of April 2012

Asia:
China
                   Wuhan

Xinfeider Public Bikes debuts it new bike station. The multi-language kiosk boasts a very large touch screen. It can serve as an information center. It can print out directional maps or special coupons for system users for near-by shopping. It could also be used by those needing directions. The station has electric battery recharging capability and a recycling container for used batteries for electric bicycle compatibility. With advance connectivity, the new bike station could serve much more transit options for central payment and ticketing. Xinfeider took the lead in the consolidation of Wuhan's multiple bike-sharing systems. According to a recent report from the Hubei Department of Tranportation, there are now 1,218 public bike service sites of which 700 are smart lease sites, and of those, 150 use solar energy. There are 70,000 public bicycles in the system and this year they will invest in another 20,000 for a total of 90,000 vehicles.

North America:
USA
                   Chattanooga

Cable Lock

Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System is to take to the streets. Watch this catchy video. This southeastern city of around 170,000 people in Tennessee is to have 300 bikes in 30 stations. It offers only yearly subscriptions at $75 (special $60 introductory offer until May 31, 2012) and day memberships for $6. In a break from most U.S. automated bike-sharing systems, Chattanooga offers a one-hour initial usage period at no charge rather than the usual 30 minutes. According to WRCB TV, the system is scheduled to launch on April 25, 2012.

The service is operated by Alta Bicycle Share with equipment from PBSC. It is a first city installation using a PBSC bicycle with an intergrated auxiliary cable locking system to secure the bike away from a docking station and a passive GPS system. Also new are the "Urban Solution" version 3.0 kiosk at the docking stations.

Update: The Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System was originally scheduled to launch on April 25, 2012. The launch was postponed twice due to technical problems with a new operating system according to the program's press release.


Europe:
Germany
                   Kassel

Konrad is the name of the new Call a Bike - DB Rent system in Kassel, Germany. It begins operation this week with 500 bikes in 50 stations. There are no subscriptions to this system and every 30 minutes of usage are charged at € 0.50 (65¢ US). It is necessary to sign up for free at a station or over the phone for a € 3 ($4 US) charge which is then credited against usage. Each Kassel bus ticket will give a 30 minutes credit on the system also.


                    Mainz

After starting with a small bike-sharing pilot program last year, Mainz, Germany a city of 200,000, began a full program called MDVmeinRAD this week. Run by the city transit system, the new train and bus eticket will operate at the current 50 bike stations and will access all 1,000 bikes and 120 solar-powered stations when the system is complete this fall.


images: Xinfeider, Chattanooga Bicycle Transit , Konrad, MGVmeimRad,


Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

The Bike-sharing World: Second Week of April 2012

North America:
              Canada
   
Speculation is swirling in Canada that Public Bicycle Share Company (PBSCo), bIXI in Montréal, will be sold to SERCO, the operator of Barclays Cycle Hire, according to the CBC. Ever since the government in Quebec made it clear that PBSCo had no authority to market bike-sharing internationally and that the international sales had to be shut down or sold, SERCO has been considered the most likely buyer.

When speaking of the possible sale, Roger Plomondon, the retiring President of PBSCo, said, "It would be very sad to see, but from an economic point of view, they’re probably the most motivated potential buyer." With a large investment in the Barclays Cycle Hire program and the desire to expand, SERCO needs to protect its supply line for the bikes and stations. The same is true for Alta Bicycle Share. With 10,000 bikes destined for New York City and 3,000 bikes for Chicago, Alta and the cities under contract with Alta need the disposition of PBSCo to be settled.

                   USA

Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, announced during at the city's "CicLAvia" today plans for a new bike-sharing program to cover downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Playa del Rey, Westwood and Venice Beach. More details are in his press release. The system would have 4,000 bikes and 400 stations and might start deployment by the end of 2012.   

According to the LA Times, the program will cost $16 million. The system would not use City funds. It would be set up and run by Bike Nation, a California Bike-share Company. Bike Nation is in the process currently of setting up a pilot program of 150 bikes for Anaheim, California. It should begin late this spring or early summer.

Europe:

              Spain

What does a system do with old bikes that are serviceable but past their prime, especially when replacements are delivered? The City of La Coruña will give away older bikes of the Bicicoruña system to Asociación Mobi-Liza which will distribute them, upon request, to people who have fewer resources to buy one. The City sees this as an initiative to further promote cycling as a means of transport to its citizens. This is worthy re-cycling of bike-sharing bicycling.

images: The Bike-sharing Blog, Bike Nation, Bicicoruña

Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

The Bike-sharing World: First Week of April 2012

Europe:
   
     Slovakia

The City of Bratislava is looking for bids for bike-share. A tender offer is asking for submissions by April 27, 2012. The Bratislava Automated Bike System offer calls for at least an 11-station system as a start. What, you don't read Slovak? Here is an English synopsis and article about the tender. More and more cities in Eastern Europe are realizing the benefits of bike-sharing. A quick look at the Bike-sharing World Map sees the growth of new systems there.


    Poland


OsedomRad is one of the first bike-share systems that offers pick-up and drop-off stations in two counties! This 500-bike, 60-station system operated by neXtbike is based in and around the recreational areas of the Isle of Osedom in northeast Germany, close to the Poland border. A bike checked out from a station in Ahlbeck, Germany can be returned in Świnoujście, Poland and visa-versa! This is just another example of cooperation in the bike-share world that brings us a step closer to inter-operability.


Warsaw Public Bicycle which is scheduled to begin in June 2012 is operating in the Bemowo District of the city. Ten stations are reporting activity on a system map. According to a report in Eltis, it is the first District of many to have a program in the 
Polish capital.





This month NeXtbike Poland is to complement its 140-bike, 17-station Wroclaw City Bike program with a similar system in Pozan. It will open with 80 bikes in 7 stations on April 15th. We will watch as the Warsaw program expands this summer.


    The Netherlands


CallLock in Middelburg, near Belgium and the North Sea, began as a free pilot in November 2010. The system has 40 bikes in 6 stations. This year the system is to become a full fledged subscription payment operation.

                                               

India’s Bike-sharing Tipping Point

Guest post by Bradley Schroeder

Bike-sharing in India is on the verge of exploding in terms of the number of cities looking towards implementation. Both for-profit and governmental bodies are reviewing models that could work. I was privileged to be invited to India in November 2011 by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy to work on bike-sharing –- both at the national level, as part of a team creating a policy document for national funding, as well as at the municipal level with various cities. What I experienced was reminiscent of the China I experienced when working there in 2008.

The concerns for safety and the image of cycling being only for the poor are probably the largest concerns for India right now. Similar concerns have been echoed globally by sceptics, but it’s important for India to go down the same path as other societies have, and to build a model that will work in the Indian context.

While various attempts at bike-sharing have been made, most lack the basic concept and confuse it with bicycle rental. Also lacking is the technology that makes 3^rd generation (high tech) systems a success and the coverage area to account for anything more than a small pilot project. But the lack of existing systems did not deter the Urban Mobility India Conference in Delhi from holding a session on bike-sharing which was well attended with quite vocally opinionated stances on whether bike-sharing is needed and how it would succeed in India.

But the wheels are turning. Cycle Chalao has won a tender in the City of Pune to put a pretty decent-sized system in place. While the contract lacks two key components of successful bike-sharing systems globally, stipulation of full automation and payment according to service levels, it does allow leeway for a robust system to be installed and showcase bike-sharing’s potential in a large Indian city.

South of Pune, Kerberon Automations has set up shop in Bangalore with a few stations in what looks like the beginnings of a well-designed 3^rd generation system using an advertising-based business model.

India is at the tipping point. If bike-sharing is planned and implemented well in the first few cities who truly adopt it on a grand scale, there is little reason why it would not take off. Indian cycling is historically a poor man’s way to travel, but a new emerging higher-class recreational cycling effort happening presently in many cities can give cycling the image facelift it needs to become an acceptable way to travel for all.

It is up to local governments to educate themselves on best practices of bike-sharing globally and to apply them to the Indian context. Through our discussions with local manufacturers, we found there was interest and ability to design and supply the ideal bicycles, stations, terminals, docks, and technology needed to make bike-sharing a success. Putting the package together in India seems very plausible.

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What's going on with bike-sharing in your part of the world? Be a guest blogger on The Bike-sharing Blog. Contact us with more info.

image credit: Chris Kost, ITDP India

NACTO Exacto

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) organized a Bike-share Workshop with other partners which occurred March 22-23, which was the first of its kind in the U.S. with this focus. For two days participants from municipalities with existing services and those which are in the planning stages, came together to:

• Hear the experiences from leading bike-sharing programs around the country.
• Learn about bike-sharing emerging best practices.
• Help identify how bike-sharing can better integrate and coordinate with local transit operators.
• Better understand which business model is right for their jurisdiction and what are the key factors to consider before implementation.
• Identify the political, social, and community factors to be considered for bike-sharing to succeed.
• Share concerns about the capital and funding requirements, operational challenges, and data management needs for bike-sharing.

The event, although not widely publicized, drew 90 bike-sharing professionals from around the country, many of whom were in town for the National Bike Summit as well. Personally, I found the event to be quite good as it was an opportunity for folks from around the country to finally get together at one location and share their array of experiences in this nascent field. I met folks from other existing bike-sharing services, such as Denver and Minneapolis, and those who are months or a year away from realizing their own service. With transit operations being a fast-paced world, taking a breath to stop and learn from others about their best practices is always nice. In addition, the new B-cycle station was there and had bikes with built-in rear panniers. Very cool.

Russell and I at The Bike-sharing Blog look forward to working with NACTO to make more materials available to bike-sharing professionals around the U.S. and the world, to further sharing of documents, experiences, and learning for all to benefit. NACTO's future bike-share site is not yet live, but should be a good resource.

Additional coordinating partners included the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, American Public Transportation Association, League of American Bicyclists, National Center for Transit Research, and National Bus Rapid Transit Institute.

DECOBIKE in Great Shape Its First Year

With Decobike, life is a beach

March 15th marked the first anniversary of DECOBIKE. Everyday each DECOBIKE is used on average 5 to 6 times by residents, tourists, and the Beautiful People who flock to Miami Beach, Florida. DECOBIKE is the first privately funded city-wide bike-sharing system in North America. It has completed its first year by logging close to 720,000 rides, with 100,000 in the last 30 days.

Starting with 550 bikes, there are now 800 bikes in the system. Soon there will 1,000 bikes rolling through the Miami Beach streets and next to the ocean. In its first year, 4% of the City's residents have subscribed to the long-term membership option. The program is celebrating its anniversary financially in the black.


Next week, DECOBIKE expands into the neighboring community of Surfside just north of Miami Beach. Even further north in May, a new DECOBIKE system with 400 bikes debuts in Long Beach, New York, just outside New York City.


As with all bike-sharing systems, DECOBIKE proves that all bike-share users are Beautiful People.


image: DecoBike


Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

Alta lands Chicagoland Bike Share

 

Alta Bicycle Share reaches new heights today with its selection as the vendor for the Chicago bike-sharing 3,000 bike - 300 station system planned for this summer. With Chicago, Alta will garner management operations for the largest bike-sharing systems in the US: New York City and Washington, DC. Both New York and Chicago seem to be working on the same deployment schedule. It will an interesting race to see which city is first to make bike-sharing sizzle this summer! According to The Chicago Tribune & The Mayor's Press Release, the expected cost for the Chicago program is $21 million. Most of the money is coming from the US government in the form of grants with only $3 million coming from the City. The Chicago bike-share plan calls for an expansion in 2014 to 5,000 bikes in 500 stations.
images: Alta, Chicago

Russell Meddin   bikesharephiladelphia.org

Boris Bikes Ballooning

Area of most of the new Barclays Cycle Hire stations (circled in red)

Londoners woke up this morning to a newly expanded Barclays Cycle Hire.  2300 new bikes in 200 new stations mostly on the east side of the city. These new stations had been scheduled for 2012 since the launch of the system in July 2010, but it was impressive that new bikes were put out and the stations turned on over night.


In other London news, according to the Daily Beast, Queen Elisabeth was diplomatic about her thoughts on the Boris Bikes. At an event with Mayor Boris Johnson, the Queen said, "At least I didn’t have to come down here on one of your bikes, The mayor responded,"Oh gosh, don’t you like my bikes?" Then she said,"Oh yes, I think they’re lovely. In fact I notice the bike racks are often empty!"


Well at least the system is being used enough for the Queen to notice. Good work London!


image: TfL


Russell Meddin      bikesharephiladelphia.org

Hangzhou & Beijing Updates

It's official, the China Low Carbon Science and Technology Museum will acquire the now retired bike #1 of the Hangzhou Public Bicycle Transport Development Service. The bike went into service on May 1, 2008 and was used nearly 7,000 times. It is one of the original 2,800 bikes removed from service at the end of last year and replaced with newer ones. The actual serial number on the bike is the six digit #800-001, the 8 meaning 2008. The new bikes now have seven digit numbers. 

Newly installed Beijing bike-share station

Station kiosk and card touch dock

As Hangzhou retires its first bike-share bikes, Beijing is about to deploy its first municipal bike-sharing service. Beijing bike sharing system stations are spotted being installed in the Dongcheng and Chaoyang Districts of Central Beijing. Unlike the terminated private company bike-share system of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, this service will be owned by the city. They plan to have 20,000 bicycles in 1,000 stations by the end of this year and 50,000 bicycles by 2015, according to the Beijing Radio Network. The launch date has not been set.

images: Hangzhou Service, Beijing TV


Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org

Bubi Busting Out in Budapest

From Budapesti Közlekedési Központ:


“bubi” (Budapest Bicycle) will be Hungary’s first public bike-sharing system, similar to already existing European models. It is to be operated by BKK, the Centre for Budapest Transport, the new transport authority of Budapest. An Information Day is to be held by the future system operator (BKK) in Budapest, on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. The one-day event will be structured in the form of a roundtable discussion about the most important aspects of the implementation and operation of a public bike-sharing system in Budapest. Due to the limited number of attendees, we would like to invite companies who operate or produce such bike-sharing systems.

image credit: BKK

Starck Reality of Bordeaux Bike-share

PIBAL is not 3rd Generation Bike-sharing

Contrary to what has been written in the news about the new City Streamer bicycle "PIBAL" for Bordeaux, France, it is not a replacement bike for the V³ bike-sharing system there. These bicycles, which were designed by Philippe Starck and manufactured by Peugeot at the request of the City of Bordeaux, will be used to replace the fleet of the city's long term bicycle loan system, Vélo Ville de Bordeaux (VVB). 


In addition to their bike-sharing systems, many French cities like Lille, Montpellier, and Strasbourg, have fleets of bicycles which the city loans to its inhabitants for longer periods of time. This is generally a rental period of three months to a maximum of one year. This information was confirmed by the V³ operator, Keolis and the City of Bordeaux.


PIBAL is a very interesting bicycle. It will be built with fluorescent tires, a dynamo for front and back automatic lights, internal hub brakes and shifting, heavy duty front and rear racks to carry heavy loads, and it can be pushed as a scooter or ridden as a bike. Also, these bikes will be available for sale at around €300 ($400 US). According to the bicycle loan agreement for a VVB, it is not advisable to share!

image: Décision-Achats


Russell Meddin    bikesharephiladelphia.org