I have rented these bikes several times since the system opened and really only once have I had a bad experience. This was the very first time when I was trying to enter my payment information and the kiosk (in Oakland near the Cathedral of
Learning) just would not function to process it. I had to call customer service and eventually they authorized the bike for me via phone, but it took quite a while. Since then, I have not messed with the kiosks at all. Every time I want to rent, I just call the phone number printed on the kiosk and rent the bike over the phone. It's super easy - you just select the option for rent bike, punch in the ID number of the bike you want, and the station will release it for you. I've never had an issue since I started doing it this way. Bikes have always been in good shape and I love that we have a bike rental program. Hoping the issues with the kiosks get worked out over time. Or maybe they have been, but I don't know because I never use the kiosks. Although based on other reviews, that doesn't seem to be the case quite yet.