In July, New York City will add its name to the many cities that have public bicycle programs. The Citi Bike program will feature 10K bikes in 600 docking stations around the city, making it the largest such program in the US (the name comes from Citibank, who gave $41M in sponsorship money).
You can either rent bikes by the day, week or sign up for a yearly membership; prices are $10, $25 and $95 respectively. With the yearly, you receive unlimited sub-45 minute rides with nominal charges when that time is exceeded.
Programs like this have been going on for years across the US and the world. Paris has 20K public bikes, London 9K, Montreal 5K, Washington DC 1500 and Hangzhou, China has a whopping 60K+.
Public bikes are ideal for city-dwellers who need to get somewhere quick. The bikes’ upright position and grease-less configuration make them business-attire compatible. They also cover the spaces not covered by public transport. Most importantly, they make biking more accessible and acceptable to larger swaths of the population. They are, as Treehugger puts it, “cycling’s gateway drug”–once you start, you can’t stop.
Do you or have you used a public bike? What was your experience. Let us know.
Via Bloomberg and Treehugger
