Back in the 1960s there was a hippy experiment. White bicycles were left around for anyone to use. The idea was that you would ride the bike to your destination and then leave it for the next person. It was very utopian, but unfortunately there were two problems: One, most people weren't honest hippies and Two, a can of paint was a lot cheaper than a bike. The White Bicycles soon disappeared.
Back in the future, Bicing is a city supported company operating in Barcelona, Spain. The idea is the same: cheap or free public bicycles, but the tech is bang up to date. It launched a few weeks ago and already has 3000 people signed up. So yesterday when the sun was shining I went to take a look and snap some pics.
It works like this: You pay €6 per year ($8) and for that you get a card (which comes by post, so they know where you live).
You then take the card to any of the Bike Stations around the city (just ten so far, but more on that in a moment). You swipe the card, tap in a PIN and it unlocks a bike for you. All the bays are numbered and the number for your ride pops up on a screen and you go pull it out.
If you look at the photo, you'll see the carrier on the front of the bike. That has two nubbins underneath which lock into the railing.
When you reach your destination you lock it back into the nearest station. That's it. The service is free for up to 30 minutes at a time and 30c (40c) per half hour after that. Maximum time allowed is two hours, but this is a short hop service so that should be plenty. If you stray over the two hours there is a penalty of €3 ($4) per hour.
On weekdays the service shuts down between midnight and 5am for maintenance. Weekends are 24hr.
The website uses a Google Maps mashup to show all the stations. As I said, there are ten right now, mostly in the downtown area. More are coming. There are already 1500 bikes, so availability is not a problem yet.
My card hasn't arrived yet so I couldn't test out the service, but I watched plenty of other people of all ages buzzing along by the beach. The bikes look comfortable and sturdy, and checking in and out is simple.
I really like Bicing. Barcelona is a cyclist's city. It's one of the quickest ways to get around. If this rolls out properly then it will become practical enough to use every day. At the moment I'm sticking to my own bike, though, as I live on the wrong side of town.
Product page [Bicing]
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