B-cycle

B-cycle

Formerly called	Freewheelin[1]
Type	Privately held
Founded	2010
Headquarters	Waterloo, Wisconsin[2], United States
Number of locations	37 systems in 30 cities[1]
Area served	United States & Chile[1]
Key people	Bob Burns, President
Services	Bicycle sharing system
Website	bcycle.com

B-cycle is a public bicycle sharing company formed in partnership between Trek Bicycle Corporation, Humana, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky^[1] and is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, United States.^[2] It has 37 local systems operating in cities across the United States, as well as one in Santiago, Chile. However, in several cities it operates under a name other than B-cycle (i.e., CAT Bike, Red Bike, GREENbike, etc.)^[3][1]

Description

The B-cycle system is a technologically advanced system. It's flexible so that local communities can easily implement the system into existing infrastructure and transportation networks. Its facilities include bicycles and solar-powered stations positioned throughout a city or region. The result is a slight variation in the system, depending on the city of operation. Such variations can include differences in pricing and operating under a name other than B-cycle. Notwithstanding, even though they may operate under different names, their stations will still include the "B in a circle" logo (but perhaps with a different color outer circle). Variations are also affected by the primary sponsors of the local system.

BCycle's 2.0 bike share system in front of the Trek Bicycle headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

Solar powered Boulder B-cycle station with double sided docks.

Users of the system can purchase annual memberships or just a day or week pass. The system is intended for short trips rather than using an automobile or bike rentals.^[4] They can then check out and return bikes at any station in their city.^[5] Depending on the local system and type of membership or pass, users can keep the bicycles for 30-60 minutes without any additional charge for an unlimited number of times. Bicycles can be used longer for a nominal hourly assessment. However, if a bicycle is returned to any station, it can usually be immediately checked back out for an additional 30-60 free minutes.^[6][7] Another variation is dates and hours of operations. Some systems do not operate at night and some do not operate during the winter months. Notwithstanding the variations, annual memberships are recognized in most B-cycle cities in a reciprocity program called "B-connected."^[8] The cost of annual memberships vary from US$50 to US$80.

The bicycles used by B-cycle were designed specifically for bike sharing.^[9]

History

In 2007, the founding partners of B-cycle, Trek Bicycle Corporation and Humana, began their bike sharing venture with the nation’s largest ever temporary bike sharing program culminating at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. Called Freewheelin, this program made 1,000 bikes available to the delegates at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. The programs proved so successful that the Democratic host committee selected bike sharing as a special legacy program to receive a donation to launch the country’s first smart bike sharing system. Following the Democratic National Convention, Trek Bicycle Corporation, Humana and advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky formed B-cycle, LLC. to develop a technologically and visually appealing bike share system. The joint venture worked with the non-profit created to operate the system, Denver Bike Sharing, to launch the initial 500 bike and 40 station Denver B-cycle in Denver on Earth Day, April 22, 2010.^[10][11]

Locations

A 15 dock, solar powered station in the Denver

Philly Indego Bikeshare

As of April 2015, B-cycle has bicycle sharing systems in the following areas:^[3]

United States

• Ann Arbor, Michigan^[12]
• Aventura, Florida^[13]
• Austin, Texas^[14]
• Battle Creek, Michigan^[15]
• Boulder, Colorado^[16]
• Broward County, Florida^[17]
• Charlotte, North Carolina^[18]
• Cincinnati, Ohio (Operates under the name Red Bike)^[19]
• Clarksville, Tennessee^[20]
• Columbia County, Georgia^[21]
• Columbus, Indiana^[22]
• Dayton, Ohio (Operates under the name Link Dayton Bikeshare)^[23]
• Denver, Colorado^[24]
• Des Moines, Iowa^[25]
• El Paso, Texas^[26]
• Fargo, North Dakota (Operates under the name Great Rides Bikeshare)^[27]
• Fort Worth, Texas^[28]
• Greenville, South Carolina^[29]
• Houston, Texas^[30]
• Indianapolis, Indiana (Operates under the name Indiana Pacers Bikeshare)^[31]
• Kansas City, Missouri^[32]
• Lakewood, Colorado (DFC,private campus)^[33]
• Las Vegas, Nevada^[34]
• Madison, Wisconsin^[35]
• McAllen, Texas^[36]
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Operates under the name Bublr Bikes)^[37]
• Nashville, Tennessee^[38]
• Omaha, Nebraska^[39]
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Operates under the name Indego)^[40]
• Rapid City, South Dakota ^[41]
• Roseburg, Oregon (VA, private campus)^[42]
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Operates under the name GREENbike)^[43]
• San Antonio, Texas^[44]
• Savannah, Georgia (Operates under the name CAT Bike)^[45]
• South San Francisco, California (Genentech) (Operates under the name gRide)^[46]
• Spartanburg, South Carolina^[47]

International

• Santiago, Chile (Operates under the name Bikesantiago)^[48]

Planned locations

• https://www.bcycle.com/cities

See also

• Bicycle sharing system
• Utility cycling - Short-term hire schemes
• Motivate (New York / Boston / Washington DC / San Francisco / Chicago / Toronto / Seattle / Melbourne)
• Vélo'v (Lyon, France)
• Vélib’ (Paris, France)
• Bicing (Barcelona, Spain)
• Santander Cycles (London's Bixi-based system)
• BIXI
• Zagster

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to B-cycle.

• B-cycle (official website)
• How to use the B-cycle bike share (video)