Newport Beach held a demonstration this weekend for their future bicycle sharing program, something that many desire here in Los Angeles after seeing similar programs in Europe and Canada. The Brandenburger Foundation is bringing the program to the city and has chosen the Bixi Bike System, which can be seen on the streets of Montreal. Here's how it will works, as explained by the Orange County Reigistrar's green blog:
Users must run a credit card through a card reader to pay fees, although 30 minute rides are free. After that, fees range from $1.50 for the second 30 minutes to $6 for the fourth 30-minute period and each 30-minute period beyond that. The price increases to encourage people to use the bikes only for short increments of time.
montbikesgocThey can also purchase 24-hour access for $5, a 30-day subscription for $28, and a 1-year subscription for $120. Memberships will be available on the program’s web site.
The bikes are automatically locked when the front wheel is placed in a dock at the bike station. Punching in a code triggers a green light and releases the bike.
A downtown bicycle rental facility will be discussed this week at the City Council level. Previous attempts to bring bicycle sharing to Los Angeles have not found stable footing yet.
