In addition, London partnered with BIXI and plans to launch its own bike sharing program with 6,000 bicycles and 400 stations by Summer 2010. The most widely known third-generation bike sharing system today is “Vélib’” in Paris, France. To date, Vélib’ operates with 20,600 bicycles and has plans of expanding to 23,900 bicycles by the end of 2009 . Over two million Parisians have access to 1,451 bicycle stations, which are available every 300 meters, 24-hours a day, and seven days a week. Vélib’ operates on a fee-based system where program users are encouraged to employ bicycles for short trips by offering the first thirty minutes of cycling free to users. After thirty minutes, increasing costs are scheduled. Users also have the option of purchasing a one-day pass for €1 , a one-week pass for €5 , or a one-year subscription for €29 . Between 2007 and 2008, Vélib’ reported that 20 million trips were made through their program. Averaging 78,000 trips per day, Vélib’s usage rates require that the program operate as efficiently as possible to maintain and distribute bicycles.The largest IT-based system in North America is BIXI in Montreal, Canada. BIXI stands for BIcycle-TaXI. Launched in May 2009, BIXI operates with 5,000 bicycles, 400 stations, and 11,000 program members . BIXI’s system has also been chosen as the provider for Boston’s planned bike sharing program, which aims to launch with 2,500 bicycles and 290 stations by Summer 2010. It is equally important to note that technological advances in the BIXI program mark a shift towards the fourth-generation of bike sharing described below. While the implementation of bike sharing programs in North America is limited,grow tray stand bike sharing activity in South America only recently started in 2008.
At present, Brazil and Chile are the only two nations with fully operating programs. Argentina and Colombia are in the process of planning their own bike sharing systems. In 2008, Brazil launched two bike sharing programs—“UseBike” in São Paulo and “Samba” in Rio de Janiero. UseBike operates with 202 bicycles and 23 bike stations. This program offers users one free hour and costs two Brazilian reais for each additional hour. Samba was launched with 80 bicycles and eight bike stations. It is in the process of expanding to neighboring cities and is expected to reach 500 bicycles with 50 bike stations by the end of 2009. To access bicycles, Samba requires mobile phone activation. Users are instructed to subscribe online, then they can walk up to any of the eight bike stations, call the designated number from their mobile phone, enter a security code, dial the station and spot number, and the bicycle is unlocked. Following the launch of Samba in Brazil, Chile launched its own bike sharing program with 50 bicycles and 10 bike stations.Asia’s bike sharing history is limited to third generation IT-Based Systems. Despite its more limited experience, Asia is the fastest growing market for bike sharing activity today. The first bike sharing program to launch in Asia was “TownBike” in Singapore in 1999 . This program ended in 2007. The second bike sharing program in Asia was the “Taito Bicycle Sharing Experiment,” which operated in Taito, Japan from November 2002 to January 2003. It was the first bike sharing pilot in Japan and was funded by the national government’s Social Experiment grants. The program operated with 130 bicycles at 12 locations. Bicycles were accessed by magnetic striped membership cards, which helped prevent theft. Due to Taito’s high population density, program users felt that more bicycle locations were necessary . At present, bike sharing programs are operating in South Korea, Taiwan, and Mainland China. South Korea’s city government launched its first bike sharing program, “Nubija,” in Chongwan in 2008.
The program has 430 bicycles and 20 terminals located at the city center. Similar to other programs, Nubija does not charge users a fee for the first hour of use. “C-Bike” in Kaohsiung City launched in 2009, as the first bike sharing program in Taiwan. The entire system operates on a build-operate-transfer basis that costs NT$90 million . Following the launch of Kaohsiung’s program, the Taipei government partnered with Giant to launch their bike sharing system, “YouBike,” in 2009. This program is completely automated with an electronic management system that allows bicycles to be rented and returned to any location. There are 500 bicycles at 10 locations that provide 718 YouBike parking spaces in Taipei . The largest and most famous bike sharing program in Asia is the “Public Bicycle” system in Hangzhou, China, which was launched by the Hangzhou Public Transport Corporation in 2008. This system was the first IT-Based system in Mainland China. With a population of 3.73 million, Hangzhou’s high population density makes it a promising bike sharing location. Hangzhou’s system operates with 40,000 bicycles and 1,600 stations and is expected to expand to 50,000 bicycles and 2,000 stations by the end of 2009 . Increasing the number of bicycle stations to 2,000 means that tourists and residents will have access to a bicycle station every 200 meters. According to a survey by the Hangzhou Public Transport Corporation, bicycles are used six times per day on average, and no bicycles have been lost during the first year implementation . The Hangzhou Public Bicycle System has surpassed Vélib as the largest bike sharing program in the world. Not surprisingly, it has sparked great interest in bike sharing in Mainland China. Indeed, Beijing, Tianjin, Hainan, and Suzhou have already launched pilot programs in 2008 and 2009. In February 2010, the City of Melbourne, Australia also announced plans for its first bike sharing program. The city has selected BIXI as the provider and plans to launch with 1,000 bicycles and 52 stations by Summer 2010.
The success of third-generation programs has made it the most prominent bike sharing model worldwide. Furthermore, third-generation successes have increased the number of bike sharing vendors, providers, service models, and technologies. Bike sharing providers, for instance, range from local governments to transport agencies, advertising companies, for-profit, and non-profit groups . Bike sharing is funded through advertising, self-funding, user fees, municipalities, and public-private partnerships . Table 2 below provides an overview of bike sharing business models and providers. The most prominent funding sources for third-generation bike sharing are municipalities and advertising partnerships . According to Midgley local governments operate 27% of existing bike sharing systems. In addition, JCDecaux and Clear Channel— the two biggest outdoor advertising companies—operate 23% and 16% of worldwide bike sharing programs, respectively . Public agencies also are becoming an increasingly important provider of bike sharing programs. In China, for instance, public transport agencies operate the Hangzhou bike sharing system under local government guidance. Furthermore, non-profit bike sharing programs, which typically require public support at the start-up stage,hydroponic racks are likely to remain a prominent model for the foreseeable future. At present, major bike sharing vendors include Clear Channel Adshel, BIXI, Veoila Transportation, Cemusa, JCDecaux, and B-Cycle . Of these, the major bike sharing systems are: 1) SmartBike by Clear Channel Outdoor in the U.S., 2) Bicincittà by Comunicare in Italy, and 3) Cyclocity by JCDecaux in France . Increasing use of advanced technologies in third generation bike sharing has led to a growing market for technology vendors. IT-based systems became popular after the largest outdoor advertising company, Clear Channel, launched their first Smart Bike program in Rennes, France. Other companies that provide automated IT-based systems include: Biceberg ; BIXI Public Bike System ; Ebikeshare ; LeisureTec Bike Station ; Q I Systems CycleStation ; Sekura-Byk ; and Urban Racks .At present, there is limited research on the environmental and social benefits of bike sharing, particularly before-and-after behavioral trends. However, many bike sharing programs have conducted user-based surveys that document program experience. One impact of bike sharing is its potential to provide emission-free transportation. SmartBike, for instance, estimates that over 50,000 SmartBike trips cover a total of 200,000 kilometers per day.
SmartBike calculates that a car covering this same distance would produce 37,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions per day . With an average of 78,000 trips per day and approximately 20 minutes per trip, Vélib users cover an estimated 312,000 km per day. A car covering this same distance would have produced approximately 57,720 kg of CO2 per day. As of August 2009, BIXI users covered an estimated 3,612,799 km, which translates into 909,053 kg of reduced greenhouse gas emissions . As of October 2009, the Hangzhou Public Bicycle Program generated 172,000 trips per day. With an average trip lasting approximately 30 minutes, Hangzhou program users covered an estimated 1,032,000 km per day. In contrast, an automobile covering this same distance would produce 190,920 kg of emissions. If successful, these data suggests that increased bike sharing activity has the potential to yield notable greenhouse gas emission reductions. The potential of bike sharing programs to reduce vehicle emissions is promising when one considers current data on modal shifts. For instance, in a recent survey of SmartBike members, researchers found that bike sharing drew nearly 16% of individuals who would otherwise have used personal vehicles for trip making . Velo’v in Lyon, France reports that bicycle use replaced 7% of trips that would otherwise have been made by private vehicles . In Paris, 20% of Vélib’ users also reported using personal vehicles less frequently . The growth and evolution of bike sharing programs worldwide has led to increased public awareness of bike sharing and its potential social, environmental, financial, and health-based benefits. Along with increased bike sharing awareness, public perception of bicycling as a transportation mode also has evolved. A 2008 Vélib’ survey, for instance, found that 89% of program users agreed that Vélib’ made it easier to travel through Paris. According to SmartBike, nearly 79% of respondents reported that bike sharing use in Washington, D.C. was faster or more convenient than other options. In Montreal, the initial public reaction to BIXI was skeptical. However, the heavy presence of BIXI bicycles has led Montreal residents to embrace the new system. In general, cities that have implemented successful bike sharing programs appear to have positively impacted the perception of bicycling as a viable transportation mode. While very few studies evaluate behavioral shifts, available data suggest notable changes. For example, during the first year of Velo’v, the City of Lyon documented a 44% increase in bicycle riding . Ninety-six percent were new users who had not previously bicycled in the Lyon city center. In addition, bicycle riding in Paris also increased by 70% with the launch of Vélib’. Given the relatively limited impact data, more research is needed on the social and environmental benefits of bike sharing. The advances and shortcomings of previous and existing bike sharing models have contributed to a growing body of knowledge of this shared public transportation mode. Such experiences are making way for an emerging fourth-generation bike sharing model or Demand-Responsive, Multi-Modal Systems. These systems build upon the third generation and emphasize: 1) flexible, clean docking stations; 2) bicycle redistribution innovations; 3) smart card integration with other transportation modes, such as public transit and carsharing; and 4) technological advances including GPS tracking, touchscreen kiosks, and electric bikes . See Figure 1 above for an overview of the four generations of bike sharing described in this paper. “BIXI,” which launched in Canada in May 2009, and is operating with 5,000 bicycles and 11,000 members, marks the beginning of bike sharing’s fourth generation . One of the major innovations of BIXI’s bicycle docking stations is that they are mobile, which allows stations to be removed and transferred to different locations. This innovation enables bicycle stations to be relocated according to usage patterns and user demands. Another improvement that BIXI’s system might offer to future bike sharing programs is the use of solar-powered stations. Not surprisingly, solar-powered stations would further reduce emissions and the need to secure access to an energy grid to support operations . Fourth generation bike sharing also may consider omitting docking stations and opt for flex stations where users employ mobile phone technology and street furniture for bicycle pick up and drop off, as do five cities in Germany. Vélib’s use of specially designed vehicles for bicycle relocation represents a first step towards addressing this issue. However, employing larger, designated vehicles for bicycle transport increases implementation costs and is not emission free, at present. In the future, bike sharing services will continue to deploy more efficient redistribution methods .