New smart bike, BCycle Dash, and mobile app form future of bike share

At a global gathering of bike share operators in Madison, Wisconsin yesterday, BCycle announced the bike share industry’s first fully integrated ecosystem that further enhances the bicycle’s role in public transit and that represents the future of bike share.

BCycle President Bob Burns introduced a suite of products and software that surround the bike share user and ecosystem during the company’s annual BCycle World conference: BCycle Dash, a new smart bike; BCycle Dash +, an electric assist bike share bike; and a new mobile app that unifies bike share, making it easier than ever to incorporate bike share systems into public transit. BCycle is the first bike share company to integrate bike share with public transit in the U.S.

“Bike share should be simple, intuitive and easy to use,” Burns said. “We need to remove barriers for people to be able to access a bike. That is why we introduced these new products and mobile app to help make this possible.”



BCycle Dash is an advanced smart bike that puts the rider at the center of the bike share experience. Unlike other smart bikes, BCycle Dash incorporates elements that firmly establish bike share as a critical component of a city’s transit system offerings.
Among its many features, BCycle Dash has the ability to be docked on conventional bike racks, at existing BCycle stations, at its own Dash dock, next to a station if there are no available docks or anywhere a bike can be docked. The bike also includes a head’s up color touchscreen that highlights distance and time traveled, cost spent and calories burned.

In addition, BCycle Dash features turn-by-turn directions that route riders to their destinations via a city’s designated bike paths. The directions are clear and easy to read on a moving bicycle – or can be spoken to the rider. Best of all, the bikes can be accessed in multiple ways, including phone, fob keys, metro transit cards and campus identification cards.



BCycle Dash + includes all of the same features as BCycle Dash in a fully integrated electric assist bike model. The Dash docks can be upgraded to accommodate the electric bike; the bike has a center mounted motor for balance, control and natural ride; and BCycle Dash + has an integrated lithium ion battery.



Linking both of these bikes is a world-class mobile app that allows riders to sign up and pay for rides; instantly release the bike by typing the dock number into a mobile device; find out where they are located and where they want to go.

“It’s not just about the bike – it’s about the rider,” Burns said. “It is about the ecosystem that surrounds the rider and how that ecosystem connects the rider to the bike to boost the rider experience. A rider-centric ecosystem that is linked by a world-class app creates the foundation of bike’s role in public transit. That’s why BCycle is here and that’s where we’re going.” 

BCycle currently has more than 1,250 stations and 10,200 bikes on the ground in North and South America. All BCycle bikes are designed by Waterloo, Wisconsin-based Trek.

To see photos from #BCycleWorld and the BCycle Dash launch, like BCycle on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Marina Marich
847-868-2049
mmarich@bcycle.com

Residents and Tourists Can Travel Downtown Las Vegas in a New, Fun and Inexpensive Way

Las Vegas is the latest city to bring bike share to its community, further enhancing transportation options for residents and the world-class experience for millions of visitors. Over the weekend, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) and its partners Bicycle Transit Systems (Bike Transit) and BCycle launched RTC Bike Share, the valley's first public bike share system in downtown Las Vegas.

RTC Bike Share provides a convenient and easy-to-use transportation alternative to short trips in the downtown area where users can check out a bike from one station and return it to another station near their final destination. With 21 stations at popular locations downtown and 180 bikes available 24 hours a day, bike share will provide a new alternative for residents, commuters and tourists to travel.

Priced at $4 for a 30-minute ride, $8 for a 24-hour pass and $20 for a 30-day membership, RTC Bike Share is an inexpensive way to make trips that are too long to walk, but too short to drive. As part of the 24-hour pass and 30-day membership, users can check out a bike for 30 minutes at a time, for as many trips as their pass duration allows, without being charged an extra fee.

"The RTC Bike Share program demonstrates our progressive approach to multimodal transportation," said Tina Quigley, RTC general manager. "The RTC is committed to promoting cycling as a more sustainable transportation option, and bike share is a fun and convenient way to get people outdoors and see the city."

The program complements downtown Las Vegas' dedicated green bike lanes and is the latest addition to the RTC's current cycling initiatives, including the state-of-the-art bike center at the Bonneville Transit Center and hundreds of miles of bike routes throughout the valley.

Bicycle Transit Systems will operate RTC Bike Share station maintenance and customer service.

"Our team has launched and operated large bike share programs since bike share first began in the U.S., so we've seen a lot and learned a few things," said Alison Cohen, Bike Transit CEO. "Downtown Las Vegas has a unique combination of high transit ridership, a mix of tourists and residents and, of course, great biking weather that makes it ideal for the kinds of short, spontaneous trips that bike share provides. We couldn't be more excited to partner with RTC and BCycle to help make bike share a success in downtown Las Vegas."

The Las Vegas system brings the total number of communities with a BCycle system in the United States and South America to 42. BCycle currently has more than 1,250 stations and 10,200 bikes on the ground in North and South America.

Las Vegas joins Philadelphia and Los Angeles in using BCycle's 2.0 bikes and stations. The 2.0 next-generation station features an intuitive kiosk and an updated aesthetic design while the 2.0 bicycle is lighter than the first-generation bike. All BCycle bikes are designed by Waterloo, Wisc.-based Trek.

"The 2.0 system's proven technology and high-quality aesthetic will complement the high ridership expected of both resident and tourist users in Las Vegas," said BCycle President Bob Burns. "It has been a pleasure working with RTC and Bike Transit to bring bike share to Southern Nevada. We're pleased to welcome Las Vegas into the rapidly growing BCycle family of bike share systems."

For more information on RTC Bike Share, visit bikeshare.rtcsnv.com and download the BCycle app in the App Store and Google Play.

About the RTC

The RTC is the transit authority, transportation planning organization and regional traffic management agency for Southern Nevada. The RTC's mission is to provide a safe, accessible and efficient regional transportation network that enhances the quality of life for Southern Nevada's residents and visitors. The RTC encourages the use of various transportation modes that help reduce the valley's traffic congestion and improve air quality. For more information about the RTC and its major initiatives such as Southern Nevada Strong, Fuel Revenue Indexing and the Transportation Investment Business Plan, visit rtcsnv.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Media Contacts:

• Monika Bertaki
  RTC
  (702) 354-3561
  bertakim@rtcsnv.com
  
  
  Marina Marich
  BCycle
  (847) 868-2049
  mmarich@bcycle.com

More Milwaukee stations coming in October, new suburbs to be added in future

Milwaukee (September 19, 2016) – Bublr Bikes, Milwaukee’s bike-share system, opened its first stations outside of Milwaukee over the weekend, with 7 stations containing 75 bikes installed and available in Wauwatosa.

The Bublr Bikes network currently has nearly 50 stations and 425 bicycles. The Wauwatosa expansion will be followed by additional station installations in Milwaukee next month.

In the coming years, the system plans to expand to over 100 stations and 800 Bublr Bikes in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis and Shorewood. Bublr Bikes is actively raising private funds for continued network expansion.

By the end of October, the Bublr Bikes network will contain over 55 stations and will be larger than systems found in Milwaukee peer cities including Pittsburgh, Columbus, OH, Nashville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.

The new Wauwatosa stations are located at:

·         City Hall (57 Watson Ave.)

·         Village South (7751 Harwood Ave.)

·         W. North Ave. & 69th Street (2276 N. 69th Street)

·         W. North Ave. & N. 72nd Street (7172 North Ave.)

·         W. North Ave & N. 83rd Street (2299 83rd Street)

·         W. North Ave. & Swan Blvd. (2286 N. Swan Blvd.)

·         Ludington Triangle (1717 Ludington Ave.)

Information on using Bublr Bikes is available at BublrBikes.com. Bublr Bikes is on social media at: http://facebook.com/BublrBikes and https://twitter.com/BublrBikes. News media can download Bublr Bikes logos and images at bublrbikes.com/media

The Bublr Bikes system is a public-private partnership between the City of Milwaukee and Bublr Bikes, with additional support from many other public and private partners. Since Summer 2014, Bublr Bikes, a Milwaukee-based not-for-profit, has launched 40 bike share stations in the City of Milwaukee.

Los Angeles has officially joined the bike share revolution.  At noon today, hundreds of people who live, work, and play in L.A. converged in Grand Park to launch Metro Bikes, an eagerly anticipated, groundbreaking new bike sharing network that will consist of up to 1,000 shared bicycles at up to 65 stations throughout the downtown area.

The $11 million project is the joint product of L.A. Metro and the City of Los Angeles, and is the first pilot effort to establish bike sharing throughout Los Angeles County that could potentially bring up to 4,000 bicycles to communities region-wide.

“The much anticipated launch of bike sharing in Downtown Los Angeles is the latest salvo in Metro’s ongoing transportation revolution,” said John Fasana, Duarte City Council Member and Metro Board Chair.  “Our new transportation services are eroding the exclusive domain of the automobile and giving everyone more affordable, active and sustainable alternatives.”

Metro worked closely with the City of Los Angeles to strategically place bike share stations at major transit hubs and key destinations of most benefit to people living, working and playing in the downtown area.  Bike share stations are located on both sides of Union Station, L.A. City Hall, Grand Park, the L.A. Convention Center, South Park, Chinatown, the Arts District, the Fashion District, Little Tokyo and other prime spots, most of them within a couple blocks of each other.

“Downtown L.A. is a fascinating place to explore on two wheels,” said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Second Vice Chair Eric Garcetti. “Metro Bike Share gives Angelenos and visitors an easy, affordable way to experience some of our city’s most incredible sights.”

Many bike share stations are located close to the Metro Rail and Bus network, giving transit riders direct access to Metro Bikes to easily combine bicycle and transit trips.  The system is the first in the United States to be operated by a transit agency and the first to use a single fare card, the TAP card, for both the transit system and bike share system.

Downtown Los Angeles is the ideal area to launch bike sharing.  Downtown is the largest employment center in the county, has an exploding residential population, and is home to ubiquitous and growing transit system.  It is also a top tourist destination, with major world-class sports, entertainment, dining, cultural and tourist destinations throughout numerous downtown districts.  Metro and the city selected bike share locations that created better access to museums, libraries, schools, retail, employment, and residential areas.

“Bike Sharing puts downtown at your pedals – from the murals of the Arts District to the Chinatown gates to Skyspace in the Financial District,” said Seleta Reynolds, LADOT General Manager. “We want it to help people connect the dots in a fun and healthy way.”

To use the bike share system, customers can purchase a monthly or annual flex pass at www.metro.net/bikeshare. New customers will receive their TAP card in the mail. Existing TAP card holders have the option of registering their current TAP card in the system and simply adding bike share access to it.  Starting August 1, people will be able to walk up to a bike share station and check out a bike by paying with a credit card.

Pass holders will use their Metro bike share-registered TAP card to access any Metro Bike from a dock at a station. Bike share-registered TAP cards identify each user to both Metro bike share and Metro transit lines. As with all TAP cards, transit fares can be loaded onto a bike share-registered TAP card at any Metro ticket vending machine, online at taptogo.net or at any of the hundreds of TAP vending locations across the county.

Users can download a special Metro Bike Share App available on iOS and Android that will enable them to buy a pass, check bike and dock availability, and find the nearest station to their location, among other features.   

The Metro bike share fare structure is designed to be flexible and affordable for all users. The agency has created three simple pass options:  

• A 30-day pass is $20. All trips 30 minutes or less are free and $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. This pass option is best if the user expects to take more than five trips per month. People use their registered TAP card to get bikes directly from docks and the pass renews 30 days after initial purchase.

• A Flex Pass is $40 per year. All trips 30 minutes or less are $1.75 and $1.75 per 30 minutes thereafter. This option is best if users expect to take two to five trips per month or want the convenience of using their TAP card to get a bike directly from the dock.

 

• A Walk-Up is $3.50 for 30 minutes. This option will be available starting August 1. All trips 30 minutes or less are $3.50, and $3.50 per 30 minutes thereafter. An introductory 50 percent discount rate will be offered in August-September.  This option is best for tourists and visitors to downtown LA. Users can pay per trip using their credit card at any station kiosk. No TAP card is needed for the Walk-Up.

Metro has ensured the system is equitable for all users. The agency distributed 40,000 Annual Flex Pass coupons for Metro Rider Relief participants to try the system at a low cost.  The program also has grant funding for Metro partners to conduct outreach to disadvantaged communities and to measure equity as the system grows.  

The program is planned to expand to many other communities within L.A. County including Pasadena, North Hollywood, Burbank, Huntington Park, Venice, Marina Del Rey, East L.A., and San Gabriel Valley to create a regionwide system of more than 4,000 bicycles pending board approval.

The system will be operated by Bicycle Transit Systems, with bikes and stations provided by BCycle, a unit of Trek Bicycles of Wisconsin. These companies have successfully launched and/or operate more than 40 bike share systems in metropolitan areas in the United States and abroad.

“Bicycle Transit Systems is committed to helping Metro Bike Share become a culture-changing blockbuster, by providing customers with an incredible, and safe, customer experience by Angelenos for Angelenos,” said Allison Cohen, CEO of BTS. “Metro Bike Share headquarters are based in Downtown L.A., and our diverse set of employees looks forward to providing Los Angeles County a safe and world-class service that we believe will expand rapidly.”

Unlimited Bublr rides on Tuesday July 5th to thank users and all Milwaukeeans

Bublr Bikes, Milwaukee’s bike share system, saw a record number of trips this past weekend. Over 2,100 trips were recorded during the Friday-Saturday-Sunday weekend which is more than 1,000 trips higher than the previous three-day record.

“Bublr Bikes saw unprecedented usage this past weekend,” Kevin Hardman, Bublr Bikes Executive Director, said. “Not only did Bublr Bikes make it easier for people to get to Summerfest and the fireworks, Bublr also helped people travel all over downtown Milwaukee and the adjoining neighborhoods.”

Bublr Bikes offers the lowest cost of entry, for walk-up customers, of any bike share system in the country at $3 for a 30 min. Single Ride. Bublr Bikes also offers one of the country’s only Pay as You Go passes which discounts the walk-up price down to $2/30 mins. Over 75% of this past weekend’s riders were either Single Ride or Pay as You Go customers. A Single Ride is purchased at any Bublr Bikes station using a valid credit. Bublr Passes, including the Pay As You Go pass, are purchased online at http://bublrbikes.com/pricing/.

To mark this important usage record and to thank its riders, Bublr is offering UNLIMITED 30-min Bublr rides on Tuesday, July 5th, 2016. To redeem a FREE Bublr Bikes ride, users enter in code “070516” at any Bublr Bikes station. The code is valid for unlimited FREE 30-minute Bublr rides all day. A ride ends when the Bublr is returned to a Bublr Bikes station. Rides over 30 minutes will cost $3/each additional 30 minutes. A credit card is required to check out a Bublr Bike.

“The staff and Board of Directors are so honored that Bublr is becoming such an important and used Milwaukee asset,” said Kevin Hardman. “A big thanks to everyone who rides Bublr Bikes and who supports our work. We hope you’ll take free rides on us!”