Bike-sharing Coming to Arlington

Bike-sharing is the new transportation buzz word that has been gaining popularity over the past few years as ever larger fleets of these high-tech public-use bicycle programs have been popping up throughout Europe. Bike-sharing is bicycle transit with a fleet of bikes located around town available for short-term use. To use a bike, folks must register with the service and pay an annual fee of between $10 - $40. With a quick waive of a smartcard or mobile phone call, a member has access to a sturdy bike - the first 30 minutes of each trip usually for free. For urban areas and campuses, bike-sharing has allowed folks to hop on a bike instead of driving a car for short trips to work, the grocery store, for a social trip, etc., as a bike-sharing trip is a transit trip which happens to be by bike.

Barcelona's Bicing

What’s different with bike-sharing now is the technology that’s incorporated into the service. Bike-sharing in the past was usually donated bikes painted one bright color, left around town and promptly stolen, ending the service within a few weeks. Charlottesville attempted this first generation form of bike-sharing earlier this decade and experienced a similar fate. The technology incorporated into this third generation of bike-sharing provides accountability for its members. Upon registration, customers must provide their name and credit card information. Should a borrowed bike not be returned, the customer would be charged for the bike’s replacement cost. This has greatly limited theft.

Germany's Call a Bike

Arlington County is developing a bike-sharing program and hopes to launch next year. Presently there are no high-tech bike-sharing programs in North America. Examining existing technologies and their costs, Arlington either will choose the same technology that Washington, D.C. will be using with the launch of its “SmartBike” program during the winter or choose another technology. The major benefit of having the same technology as D.C. would be that individuals would be able to ride downtown. The major benefit of choosing another technology would be greater flexibility for the customer and more bikes.

For more information on bike-sharing, visit The Bike-sharing Blog.

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