Bicycle Sharing Programs Growing Worldwide

Walked by a SmartBike stand a couple weeks ago in DC, and then the Millennium Park bike garage in Chicago not long before that, and I've read about the proposed bike facility at City Market in Downtown Indianapolis. MetroBike, LLC, a consultancy that assists cities and organizations around the world in such programs, reports a 49% increase in 2010 in bike sharing services around the world. As a regular bicycle rider for transportation around downtown, I am curious if these bicycle sharing programs will ever be usable for actual business use vs. just recreational. It seems like if enough of these can be placed in the appropriate locations, and if easily identifiable on a smart phone, then when out of town on business, I would likely see myself trying it out instead of foot, taxi’s or subway. I often find myself hoofing it because cabs are full, or the ones available do not look real exciting to step into. Or maybe it’s more likely the fact that I am too cheap to pony up that extra cash for a cab. However, if I have confidence in the location of multiple Smartbike-like locations I think I would consider their use very often. They have to be cheaper and smell better than cabs!

Most bicycle rental places that I have seen are tourist trap locations with tandems and 6 person bikes, but not just normal bicycles. And the rates with these are significant hourly commitments, returnable to the same place, most likely also a place you rent paddleboats or other touristy accommodations.

For residents and business travelers, the other programs seem to work to allow very short usage stints, cheap enough rates to make it worth the consumer’s while, and the locations are easily identifiable. I hope that I continue to see more of these options available, as I think it is a cool trend in the right direction, and the next time I see one of these, I am going to take it on a spin just to test it out and understand the workings even better.