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Hawaii Jumping On Bike Bandwagon

December 4, 2008 at 2:02 PM | 1 Comment

Oahu may soon have a bike sharing program to go with its upcoming commuter rail project. A privately funded program aims to have 100 bikes available at 10 solar-powered stations by June 1, 2009.

The Momentum B-cycle project will have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly passes available and will also work via credit card deposit. After buying a daily pass for $4 or a weekly pass for $10, your first half-hour will be free, the next 30 minutes will cost $2 and the next another $5. Keep the bike for 48 hours, and you'll buy it for $900.

While no locations have been secured just yet, a project spokesman says many Waikiki-area businesses are interested in hosting bike stations. Potential locations include the Aloha Tower, Ala Moana Shopping Center, the Honolulu Zoo and Sans Souci Beach.

Related Stories:
· Shuttle Bikes May Start Next Spring [Honolulu Advertiser]
· Hawaii's Newest Tourist Attraction: Commuter Rail? [Jaunted]
· Bike Sharing Travel: Options around the World [Jaunted]

[Photo: whizchickenonabun]

London Wants to Share Bikes With You (Some Day)

November 19, 2008 at 9:30 AM | 1 Comment

Every smart city's jumping on the bike sharing bandwagon these days, usually comparing their plan to Paris's Velib scheme (although they're rarely as big or as good).

This time it's London's turn to announce a bike sharing system, which might make it practically compulsory for other Olympic cities in the future. London's version doesn't have a cool name yet (or even an uncool one)--they're just at the stage of finding companies who want to run it. But keen cyclist and mayor Boris Johnson is promising to start off with 6,000 bikes with 400 different "docking stations."

They're proposing a sensible deposit for using a bike (presumably a credit card swipe will do) but also an annual fee, which isn't very tourist-friendly. It also won't be too friendly if the bikes aren't ready for the 2012 Olympics; mayor Boris wants bikes circling London by 2010 but they've got a long way to go.

Related Stories:
· London Cycling Campaign [Official Site]
· 6,000 Bikes in 400 Locations [Guardian]
· Bike Sharing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Vagamundos]

Bike Sharing Travel: Rentals Coming to Shanghai

October 6, 2008 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

Of all places, China seems like the last that would need a snazzy bike-sharing system. But officials are indeed kicking off a cycling scheme, similar to the Velib program in Paris, in hopes of getting people moving by pedal power.

Shanghai transit authorities launched the new system to coincide with World Car Free Day a couple weeks ago, and they're looking to get the citizens excited for the theme of the 2010 World Expo, "Better City, Better Life."

To encourage short trips and fast turnover the first half hour will be free; you'll pay up to three yuan (50 cents) an hour after that. There's also a 200 yuan ($29) deposit per rental, as a friendly reminder that, uh, it's not your bike.

Related Stories:
· Bike-sharing's Biggest Friend: Shanghai [Bike-sharing Blog]
· Shanghai Launches Paris-style Bicycle Rental Program [AFP, via Google]
· Bike Sharing Travel: Options around the World [Jaunted]

[Photo of Vancouver's shared bikes: sillywailo]

2008 Candidates Travel: Biking at the Convos

August 11, 2008 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

John McCain and Barack Obama may be sparring over the best ways for America to burn even more fossil fuels, but come convention time--August 25-28 for Dems and September 1-4 for the GOP--bike sharing will be the way to go thanks to the Freewheelin program.

Sponsored by the healthcare company Humana and the non-profit group Bikes Belong, Freewheelin is a free cycle sharing scheme that will both provide transportation during the events and introduce policy makers and journalists to the idea of public bikes. Each city will have about eight locations for 1,000 bikes, and they'll be available from roughly 7 am to 7 pm. (Just a couple weeks out, the exact details are still a little sketchy.)

You'll need to register for the program before you get to town; you can do that here.

Related Stories:
· Freewheelin [Official Site, via]
· Cycling Travel: Obama Scorns Your Spandex [Jaunted]
· Bike Sharing coverage [Jaunted]
· 2008 Candidates Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Velibs in Paris: malias]

Bike Sharing Travel: Options around the World

July 18, 2008 at 12:35 PM | 0 Comments

Yesterday we happily posted about Velib Bikes and the transformative effect they've had on Paris. But it's hardly the only bike-sharing program in the world; lots of other European cities offer similar schemes.

Instead of covering them all ourselves, we rely on The Bike-Sharing Blog, an aggregator of public cycling news from a consulting firm that specializes in the subject. Perhaps the coolest thing they've put together? A bike-sharing world map that tracks which cities have programs and gives links to those individual websites. Find it embedded after the jump.

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Bon Anniversaire, Velib!

July 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM | 0 Comments

Happy belated birthday, Velib! The Parisian bike-sharing program turned one on July 15, and things are still going gangbusters with 1,451 stations, 20,600 bicycles and 3 million subscribers. There's even an iPhone app to help you find the Velib locations closest to you.

While haters will point out that a few dozen people have been injured and even killed while touring the city on Velibs, the environmental impact of the cycle-sharing scheme can't be denied. Biking advocates on the other hand wax poetic about how much nicer the program has made the city for residents and visitors alike.

After the jump, a well-done video about Velib's first year.

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Travel Snapshots: SmartBike DC "Coming Soon"

June 18, 2008 at 12:46 PM | 0 Comments

In April, we mentioned a new bike-sharing program in Washington, DC that was supposed to start in May. Judging from this snapshot we took on the corner of 7th Street NW and F Street NW, that launch date has been pushed back.

Whenever it finally gets going, the Clear Channel-sponsored bike program will start small, with just 120 bikes at 10 rental kiosks throughout the city. (Here's map of the rental locations.)

We wonder, though, how useful the SmartBike DC program will be to visitors. So far, rentals are only available via a $40 yearly subscription.

Related Stories:
· SmartBike DC [Official Site]
· Springtime Pedals [Jaunted]
· Travel Snapshots coverage [Jaunted]

Europe Loves "Free" Bikes

October 29, 2007 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

We know all about Paris' Velib bike rental program, but as it turns out, the City of Light isn't the only European destination with a biking obsession. Barcelona, Seville and Stockholm all have bike rentals available, though the Spanish programs seem like a bit more of a hassle than they might be worth.

In Barcelona, the scheme is called Bicing and will cost you €1 for a weekly subscription and about $1 an hour after your first, free 30 minutes. You'll have to register for the rentals before arriving in Spain, unless you're planning to be there awhile and don't mind waiting for your rental card to show up.

Seville's program is Sevici, and it's €5 for a weekly subscription with small charges added for riding time. Its burly bikes are more reminiscent of Paris', while the Barcelona bikes are a bit lighter duty.

That same style of bike is also in play in Stockholm, where the rental season is set to wrap up this Wednesday. While that may seem like bad news, do you really want to be riding on two wheels in the dark, frigid Swedish winter? Better to wait until next April when the program restarts with more bikes and more stations all over the city.

Related Stories:
· Free Bikes in Spain [Budget Travel]
· Bicing [Official Site]
· Sevici [Official Site]
· Stockholm City Bikes [Official Site]
· Velib Bikes coverage [Jaunted]