Wednesday, July 29, 2009

City releases more details of upcoming bike share program

As Boston city officials continue to work on plans for the nation's first bike share program that is set to begin next spring or summer, more details of the program are emerging.

For those who are not familiar with municipal bike share programs, the way they work is pretty simple. The city will place bike "stations" around the city (mostly at public transit stops and other attractions). Anyone who wants to rent a bike can pay to unlock it and rent it for a set amount of time. When the rider reaches their destination, they drop off the bike at another station to lock it back up.

As far as the new details, here's a quick run down. The city has said it plans to have 1,000 to 3,000 bikes available at stations around the area. The stations will be 300 to 400 yards apart.

Under one proposal, bikes could be rented for $2.50 for a single rental or $40 for a yearly membership. A rental would be good for 30 minutes, and the rider would have to pay an additional fee after 30 minutes. The reason for this is the fact that, in other cities, the average bike sharing trip is less than 30 minutes long.

For more information on the bike sharing program, check out this story from The Globe.