The Global Evolution and Future of Bike Sharing

With NYC’s Citi Bike program entering its second year it’s a perfect time to look ahead to what could be next for the United States’ largest bike sharing system.By its one-year anniversary Citi Bike bicycles had made 8.75 million trips, covering a total distance of 14.7 million miles while riders promoted their own health and reduced the city’s carbon footprint. See what a day in NYC looks like from a Citi Bike perspective:Bike sharing has gone through an evolution since its inception in the mid 1900s. The first generation of bike shares offered free bikes to borrow (such as Amsterdam’s “white bikes” in the 1960s), while the second generation had coin-operated bike racks. Modern third generation systems such as Citi Bike are equipped with advanced features such as electronic checkout and return, up-to-the-minute tracking via apps, and damage reporting via the kiosks.So, what will the fourth generation look like?Specialists today point out four key improvements1) Seamless integration into the public transportation system.2) The implementation of new technologies such as pre-booking and smart add-ons to improve the bike sharing experience.3) Easier access  to bike sharing for all age groups.4) Improvements in the bikes’ technology, such as electric bikes.

GLOBAL EVOLUTION

If we look at the most innovative bike sharing systems from all over the world, we see some of the above improvements already in place for the next generation of bike shares.CopenhagenHaving started its first large-scale operations in the 1990s, Denmark’s capital is a real bike sharing pioneer. The complete overhaul of the system in 2013 once again secured Copenhagen’s position at the forefront of bike sharing. The new bikes come with an electric motor, which allows riders to choose between several speed settings and thus help them to easily go uphill. A built-in tablet helps navigate via GPS and the travel planner provides cyclists with up-to-date departure times of nearby trains, buses, and metro lines. In addition, it is possible to book bikes at a certain location up to 30 minutes in advance or schedule advanced reservations (for instance, for every workday of the week) making commuting easier than ever before.HangzhouWith almost 70,000 bikes in total, this is the second largest bike sharing system in the world (ranked behind China’s Wuhan with approximately 90,000 bikes), Hangzhou is one of the best examples how a bike sharing system can be integrated into the existing public transportation system. One card gives users access not only to bikes but also to the subway, bus, and taxi. By 2020, the city aims to be able to provide 175,000 bikes.MadridThe newest bike sharing program was launched in Spain’s capital in late June. Not really known for being a bike-friendly city up to now, Madrid’s “BiciMad” aims to change this perception and people’s attitude toward bicycles. A special enticement to achieve this goal could be the announcement that all of the 1,560 bikes are electric, so climbing up one of the many slopes won’t make riders sweat all over. Using the BiciMad app on your smartphone will help you find the closest of the 123 bike stations throughout the city, helps you navigate to your desired destination, and indicates the total travelled distance and calories burned during the ride.ParisMaking bike sharing accessible to the whole family, Paris started to extended “Vélib’”, which was started in June of 2007. Thanks to this extension, known as "P'tit Vélib'", kids can find four different types of bikes which are appropriate to their age. Starting with pedal-less balance bikes for two-year-olds, features like training wheels enable young riders to hop on the seat, experience the fun of biking, and get used to this environmentally friendly mode of transport.BostonA first approach to making bike sharing in cities even more safe was made in a Boston pilot project in November 2013. The city partnered with HelmetHub in order to release the first helmet vending street kiosk. Helmets can be rented and returned or bought right at the bike sharing station where people pick up their bicycles. Once a helmet is returned, it will be cleaned and sanitized before is gets redistributed to a kiosk. In addition, HelmetHub provides software for its rental kiosks that helps bike sharing systems track stations’ utilization and records of helmet usage and damage to make redeployment more efficient. Plans are currently in place to extend the program.

FUTURE INNOVATIONS

The Copenhagen Wheel transforms bicycles into hybrid e-bikes. The rider’s energy that is dissipated during cycling and braking is intelligently saved and can then be used for acceleration. Owners control the wheel with their smartphone, which enables them to lock and unlock the bike, change gears and use the electric motor. Also, the wheel collects useful data during the ride, including information about your surroundings, such as temperature, road conditions, and carbon monoxide levels. While currently aimed toward individually owned bikes, this new hybrid e-bike could be the next step in shared bike evolution.Lock8 (Lock 'n' Locate) is a keyless, alarm secured, GPS tracked bike lock. The lock is connected to your smartphone, which locks and unlocks the bike via Bluetooth and also helps you find your bike in case you forgot where you parked it. Implementing this lock into big cities’ bike sharing systems could make them independent from docking stations and help make bike sharing even more flexible.These innovations are constantly making bike sharing a smart and attractive alternative to driving in cities. And with ongoing initiatives such as bike sharing hackathons, the development is set to continue even further.We look forward to seeing our own Citibike system grow into the fourth generation of bike sharing!