Home > Fit City > Archives > 2011 > April > 15 > Entry
Trying out San Antonio B-cycle
I headed to San Antonio last week to check out the city’s new bike share program. Austin is looking at getting something similar, and I wanted to try it myself.
Here’s how it works: If you buy a yearly membership ($25 a year now, soon to go up to $60 a year) to San Antonio B-cycle, you get a swipe card that you can take to any of 14 bike stations around downtown. You use the card to check out a bike, and have 30 minutes to ride it before you check it back in to any of the other stations. If you keep a bike longer than 30 minutes at a time, you pay an extra $2 every half hour.
You can also use a credit card to buy a $10 day pass.
We stopped by The Hub in Hemisfair Plaza, where operations for San Antonio B-cycle are headquartered. We met the folks who run and maintain the system, which opened in late March. Then we all hopped on big gray B-cycles and started pedaling.
My first reaction? The seats are broad and cushy, and you sit fairly upright while you ride. That’s good. But the bikes, which have big baskets attached to the front, seemed top-heavy and tippy at first.
Also, San Antonio is flat. Austin’s pretty hilly. I wondered how easy it would be to slog up a big hill on one of these 40-pound, three-gear bikes.
After a few minutes, I got more or less used to the feel of the bike. It’s just different than my regular commuter, which I ride back and forth to work every day. The bikes aren’t for everyone, but most folks should be able to use them fairly easily.
San Antonio has a decent network of bike lanes in the area we rode. We pedaled south through the King William historic neighborhood to Tito’s in Southtown.
We weren’t near a bike station, so we locked our bikes to a rack around the corner. The B-cycles come with a cable lock attached to the front of each bike, so you can lock it even if you’re not at one of the official stations.
We fueled up (the vegetarian enchiladas are the bomb!) and headed back out. As we unlocked our bikes from the rack, a trio of pedestrians stopped to ask us about the bikes. As we rode down the street, a few folks hollered out at us, admiring them.
We rode a mile or two farther south, until we got to the Blue Star complex on South Alamo Street, home to a brew pub, a bike shop and some other cool attractions. It’s all nestled right along the river, and bikes are the perfect way to get there. A B-cycle station is conveniently located in the midst of the action.
I wondered what would happen if you got to a bike station to check in your ride and all the parking slots were filled. It turns out the stations are prepared for that possibility. You swipe your card, press a button, and the kiosk gives you directions to the closest stations with open docks. And it gives you extra time to get there.
From Blue Star, we got back on the streets and pedaled north, back toward Hemisfair Plaza.
So far, San Antonio has just 14 stations and 140 bikes. They hope to expand to 50 stations and 500 bikes in the next two years.
Austin is talking about starting with a system of 30 stations and 300 bikes, and expanding after that.
What do you think about bike sharing? Have you tried it in another city? How do you think it would work in Austin?
(Photos by Ricardo Brazzeil. That’s me in the photo above; the bottom shot shows Eileen Schaubert of Mellow Johnny’s on the left and me in the background.)
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment Categories: cycling
Comments
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By Biker
April 15, 2011 7:08 PM | Link to this
I tried something similar in South Beach (Miami, also flat) last week, and it was a surprisingly fast, awesome, and easy way to get around! I loved that they provided a basket to put my stuff in and didn’t forgo the bright front and rear lights. The bike share bikes, while heavy, were comfortable and kept in really good condition. You couldn’t check out those bikes that “needed servicing.”
By oxyk
April 16, 2011 8:19 AM | Link to this
Works great in Amsterdam.
By jimw
April 17, 2011 1:02 PM | Link to this
When we were in Paris, they had the same kind of bike stations all over the place, so you never had to look far to find a place to check out and return a bike. You see people riding them everywhere there. The key is to have enough bike stations to make it easy to never go over the half hour like you had to when you stopped at Titos. I don’t think SA has that critical density yet, so I hope the program doesn’t die before they reach that point.
By Porter Ricco
April 18, 2011 11:28 AM | Link to this
Agree with jimw. However, there were some racks in Paris without bikes and folks standing around aiting for them….
But Paris and the rest or Europe is more “bike aware” so riding in the streets is less haxardous…
pr
By Porter Ricco
April 18, 2011 11:28 AM | Link to this
Agree with jimw. However, there were some racks in Paris without bikes and folks standing around waiting for them….
But Paris and the rest or Europe is more “bike aware” so riding in the streets is less haxardous…
pr
By Porter Ricco
April 18, 2011 11:28 AM | Link to this
Agree with jimw.
The bikes in PAris were certainly handy and fun to run around on…
However, there were some racks in “hot spot” areas without bikes and folks standing around waiting for them….
But Paris and the rest or Europe is more “bike aware” so riding in the streets is less hazardous…
pr
By Leona Marie
April 18, 2011 12:27 PM | Link to this
Super idea! Who keeps the bikes tuned? What happens if the bike breaks down?
By KDR
April 18, 2011 3:48 PM | Link to this
Well - it is a start - we are moving in the right direction and I applaud the efforts. Good Job
By Scott
April 18, 2011 5:32 PM | Link to this
This idea has met with great success in Louisville Ky..
By Ruth
April 19, 2011 1:02 AM | Link to this
It should be an hour before the extra charges kick in. Thirty minutes is barely time to check it out, ride a few blocks and check it back in. It’s not even half a decent length commute or workout.
By Roxann
April 19, 2011 10:18 AM | Link to this
I had tried a similar program in Portland during a visit for a conference and enjoyed the experience. If a bi-cycle needed maintenance users could call the customer service for B-cycle the number is provided at the stations or when returning a bike indicate that the return was because it required maintenance and check out anther one usually without additional charges is the theory.
By Malinda
May 24, 2011 11:40 PM | Link to this
We purchased our $25 passes in April and have ridden almost 100 miles. The bikes are comfortable, easy to adjust, and kept in good shape. I’m sold on the Bcycle program in San Antonio!
We really encourage the placement of more docking stations, especially at the missions. The 30 minute time limit doesn’t allow adequate time to get ther and back.
Way to go Bike World and San Antonio!