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Bicing Takes Barcelona By Storm Print E-mail
Written by Kate Trainor   
Monday, 05 May 2008


In its first two months, Bicing, a bike-sharing program in Barcelona, Spain, garnered over 30,000 subscribers. The program’s popularity has only grown, which is good news for new bike-sharing programs in Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

Initially, locals were skeptical that Bicing would attract users, but the service has enjoyed phenomenal success and encouraged commuters to stop driving and start pedaling within the city center. One hundred bike rental stations are conveniently located near major transit hubs. Subscribers (who pay a pittance of €24 per year) simply pick up one of Bicing’s 1500 cycles and zip past stalled traffic to pick up groceries and run other quick errands. The first half hour is free, and the rental costs €0.30 for each 30 min. thereafter. Members can keep a bike for a maximum of two hours (the only shabby part, I think). Bikes are outfitted with a carrier, a bell and light, and are easily adjustable to match your size.

For a complete picture of what Bicing offers and how it works, check out this video (after the jump):


See also: Bike-Sharing Programs Coming Our Way
Paris Bike Rental System: Velib

Sources: Bicing and Treehugger.
Photos via flickr by jauladeardilla and Oriol Llado.

 

Comments (2)add comment

Christof said:

 		 It has more than 300 stations and more than 400 bikes. 40000 uses a day.

I hope it works out in the US
May 05, 2008 | url

Pau said:

 		 Hi,

Congratulations on your blog; I think cars in the city are an error of evolution and that we should fight to take them out.

I'm from Barcelona, and I'm a happy user of bicing. However, there are times that either you don't find a bike or that you don't find a spot to leave the bike. To try to overcome this situation, I set up a system so that you can find the bicings from your cell phone.

Details can be found at: http://www.smsbicing.com
Basically you need to send an SMS with the station you are targeting and the SMS will answer on availability and nearer stations.
It is a non-profititable system, though you need to pay for the answer SMS (total about 30 cents).

Happy bicing!
May 26, 2008 | url

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