Trend: Public Bikes – Smart Bikes

For a small fee public bikes can be picked up from self-service docking stations in many European and North American cities.

Trend Description:
Cities are a dangerous place for cyclists – or at least they used to be. Bicycle often got stolen, and their bicycle paths were rare. Many people are familiar with the White Bike experiment in Amsterdam during the 1960s — the program, in which white bicycles were left around the city for free public use, failed due to rampant theft. Recently, many European cities have revived the idea, adding more bike lanes and installing special docking stations where bikes can be rented for a deposit or small fee, encouraging citizens and tourist to use this environmentally friendly means of transportation. Last year, Paris initiated the biggest bycicle program so far, Vélib’. Most of the public bike programs that exist are in Europe, with a few in North America, and some in Asia.

Paris: Vélib’
Vélib’, the name of the Parisian public bike program, fuses the terms “vélo” (bike) and “liberté” (freedom) and is so far the most ambitious one worldwide. The city has made 20,600 bikes available to the general public. Parisians as well as tourists can pick up and park their bicycles at 750 self-service docking stations throughout the city. The docking stations are installed at 1,000-foot (300-meter) intervals and are clustered at popular sights and transport hubs. Day passes cost about US$ 1.40, weekly passes five times as much, a yearly subscription costs about US$40. All in all, the program could earn the city about €30 million in rental receipts. The advertiser JC Decaux is paying for the docking stations, the bikes, and their maintenance in exchange for exclusive use of 1,628 urban billboards.

Amsterdam: Depo
In 1996, Amsterdam started its Depo program. The big difference between Depo and the White Bike experiment is that cyclists have to use a special telephone card to access the bikes (known as smart bikes). At the origin rack, users must notify the system of the planned destination rack. Cyclists also must reach the destination rack in a limited amount of time. Many have complained of the “Big Brother” aspects of these requirements, but the measures have curbed bike theft.

 

Germany: Call a Bike
Germany’s Call a Bike program is operated by the railroad. Cyclists can unlock rental bikes outside train stations by using their mobile phones, making this a convenient way of combining public transport and cycling. Call a Bike is available in Berlin, Frankfurt/M., Cologne, Munich, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe. Customers can register online or by phone, and will receive a customer number immediately. After the initial registration, cyclists simply have to call the telephone number in the red box on the cover of the CallBike lock to receive the opening code for the lock. The rates are €0.08 per minute of cycling time, there is a
 maximum charge of €15 for 24 hours or 
a
weekly flat rate of €60.

Trend Impact:
With the use of smart cards, the biggest problem of pubic bicycles seems to be solved and public bikes are on their way of becoming a viable form of public transportation for the 21 st century. Smart cards can also be combined with metro cards and train tickets, which are already circulating. Public bicycles are a great example of an increasingly successful and sustainable concept that is helping to solve many urban problems, such as vehicular pollution and traffic congestion, while providing an efficient means of transportation, decreasing the need for parking, and improving the local quality of life.

Paris: Vélib’

Amsterdam: Depo

Germany: Call a Bike

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