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| - I'm fairly new to the whole bike sharing concept. I don't own a bike, but now that I live downtown it would probably be nice to have one. That said, a good durable bicycle can vary widely in price, I would probably worry about it being stolen and I had enough punctured tire issues during my college years that the idea of getting a new bike wasn't too appetizing. All of which makes the idea of bike sharing a novel concept. Rent a bike, get where you need to go, park it, and forget it (more or less).
In recent months I've had the opportunity to sample three different bike sharing platforms. Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C., Citi Bike in New York City, and now Grid Bike in Phoenix. The concept for each is essentially the same. The bike share company plants bikes at numerous stations throughout town. You rent one for however long you need it for a fee and then park it at one of the numerous stations once you're done. Your credit card then gets charged for however long you used the bike. The fee structure can be all over the map (you can elect to be charged by the hour or get a monthly or yearly membership), but each more or less tries to make it easy to just walk up and go.
For the most part, DC and NYC's bike share programs are similar in format. You walk to a station, provide your credit card and contact info, choose a rate plan, you get a code to unlock a bike, and boom you're good to go. The vendor Phoenix uses for its bike share program unfortunately doesn't make it quite so simple. For the Phoenix system, you first need a smart phone to download an App to use their bike share program. Once you have the app, you then input your information on the app before you can rent a bike. For those who are smartphone savvy like me its not a big deal. But if you're not tech savvy or you're just a tourist coming through downtown, going through the hassle of getting an app (especially for one time or infrequent usage) can be a big deterrent. The other extra step you have to take with Phoenix's system is you have to enter your own personal code and password onto a somewhat clunky (and hard to read) keypad on the back of the bike rather than at a station kiosk.
That said, one hugely beneficial item that the Phoenix system offers versus the DC/NYC systems is that you get a bike lock with each bike rental. Once you release the bike lock at the station, you keep it with your bike to dock it at another station later. Or if you want you can park and lock your bike pretty much anywhere. You need to be aware that your credit card is on the clock until you park your bike at a station, but its still a super convenient feature which I greatly appreciate. I don't ride frequently so I just do the $5/hour fee schedule. You can also get a monthly plan ($30/month) or yearly plan ($80/year).
Currently there are dozens of stations of all sizes throughout downtown and central Phoenix (roughly between Grant Street and Camelback Road from 15th Avenue to 12th Street), with possible future expansion depending on demand. The bikes I've used are pretty sturdy and include a bucket up front to carry your stuff. I see the Grid Bike maintenance vans coming by the Roosevelt & Central station daily so it seems like they're taking great pains to make sure the bikes are functional, clean, and reliable.
All in all, the Grid Bike share program has promise. Particularly with the young 20s and 30s crowds that are moving to the downtown area in droves. I still think they need to simply their checkout system to more closely mimic those in DC, NYC and elsewhere. But like I said I also appreciate the bike lock feature greatly. If they can make the process easier (without the need for smartphone apps or clunky keypads), they'll be able to open the system up to an even wider audience. As the downtown area gets busier, navigating it with a bike will become more and more preferable each day. Hopefully Phoenix's bike share program will be on the cutting edge of that movement.
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