SmartBike DC has just started its bike sharing program; it’s the first of its kind in the U.S.! Now 120 bicycles are available at 10 spots in central locations in the city. The automated program will operate in a similar fashion to car-sharing programs like Zipcar.
The district has teamed up with an advertiser, Clear Channel Outdoor, to put the bikes on the streets.
In the deal, Clear Channel will have exclusive advertising rights in the city’s bus shelters. The company has reached a similar deal with San Francisco. Chicago and Portland, Ore., are also considering proposals from advertisers.
For a $40 annual membership fee, SmartBike users can check out three-speed bicycles for three hours at a time. SmartBike users who keep bikes longer than the 3 hour maximum will receive demerits and could eventually lose renting privileges. Bicycles gone for more than 48 hours will be deemed lost, with the last user charged a $200 replacement fee. The program will not provide helmets but does encourage their use.
Let’s hope that SmartBike DC is as successful as the Velib Bike sharing program in Paris!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Richard Millington 08.14.08 at 1:26 am
I like the idea, I haven’t heard about the Valib Bike sharing program in Paris.
I think it’s really going to test the different cultures attitude to environmentalism, and respet towards cyclists. In Paris cyclists have a lot of respect, I worry in the USA might not afford them quite the same luxury.
moderneco7 08.14.08 at 5:41 am
I think you’ve raised an interesting point. However, I do think our culture is ready for change that will improve the environmental. Whether or not people will remember to look in their side mirrors before opening a car door is more my concern! Click on this link to read about the Valib Paris Program: http://www.modernecohomes.com/blog/eco-news/a-year-later-pariss-velib-bike-rentals-are-an-eco-friendly-hit/
kael 08.19.08 at 4:09 pm
Congrats !
I wish a huge success to SmartBike DC and to other self-service bike systems across the US.
Here in Paris, Vélib has had a considerable success although it’s sometimes difficult to find a place to park bikes, or more often, difficult to have good relations with buses and cabs.
10 stations are not enough at all to make the service easily usable, IMO, and I’d encourage to ask for more.