A new bike-sharing program in Washington will offer 120 rental bikes at 10 locations, the first of any such project in the U.S. SmartBike DC is teaming up with Clear Channel Outdoor to introduce the cyclist’s version of Zipcar.
Digital Journal — Car-sharing services like Zipcar are nothing new. But what about a U.S. bicycle-sharing program giving cyclists a chance to rent bikes for an annual fee? That’s the idea behind SmartBike DC, a new public-private venture starting next month that gives Washington cyclists a chance to borrow bikes for up to three hours at a time.
The first of its kind in the U.S., SmartBike DC costs $40 annually, allowing members to check out three-speed bikes from 10 central locations in downtown Washington. The service is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and bikes can be dropped off anytime.
How does it work? After paying for a user ID card, the member goes to any station where the bikes are attached to horizontal racks. As the website explains: “Wave your SmartBike DC user card in front of the card reader, follow instructions on screen and retrieve assigned bike from rack.”
Paul Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer for Clear Channel Outdoor, said SmartBike is just following what overseas cities have been doing for years:
SmartBike has experienced incredible success as a preferred method of public transportation in European markets like Barcelona, where over 100,000 people have now registered to participate. It’s exciting to launch the first U.S. program in our nation’s capital.
For more than 10 years, Clear Channel has operated SmartBike programs throughout Europe. Also, the Vélib service in Paris started a year ago and has already offered thousands of bikes to members. And in Amsterdam, their bike-sharing program have been going on since the 1960s.
Clear Channel’s service team takes responsibility for cleaning and repairing the bikes. They also enforce a strict lost or stolen policy – if the bike isn’t returned within 48 hours, the cyclist will be billed $200.
As part of the partnership, Clear Channel has exclusive advertising rights on the city’s bus shelters. Chicago and Portland are considering similar deals.
“It’s better for a bike-share program not to be tied to corporate money,” says Smokey Dymny, co-manager of Toronto’s Community Bicycle Network. Free of any sponsorship ties, CBN offers free recycled bikes to interested cyclists and also started a rental program at $10 a day.
He prefers the bike-share models in Toronto and Vancouver because “the corporate systems don’t work for poor people. Sure, $40 a year might not sound like a lot but it could be onerous for some cyclists. And paying $200 for a lost bike won’t be appealing.”
