San Antonio expands B-Cycle scheme

San Antonio's B-Cycle initiative

A report by Sarah L Tressler in the San Antonio Express News says that the fourth largest city in Texas (and seventh largest in the whole of the USA) is going to expand it's B-Cycle scheme with the addition of five new stations.

There are now B-Cycle stations at San Antonio Zoo, the Witte Museum, the TriPoint YMCA, the Amtrak Sunset Station and the Ace Mart Restaurant Supply on South St. Mary Street.

The B-Cycle initiative started in March 2011 and it is estimated that, since that date, 270,000 miles have been ridden on B-Cycles. That equates to 12.4 million calories burned and 'tens of thousands of dollars in saved gasoline expenses'.

The person behind the site selection process for the B-Cycle stations, JD Simpson, said, "We've been real fortunate that the city has procured grant dollars and funneled it into the B-Cycle stations."

It costs San Antonio $50,000 to set up a station, from the kiosks to the bikes and the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips in each bike.

Work is still in progress improving signage for the B-Cycle scheme and there are plans for seven more stations before the end of 2013.

The B-Cycle deal is straightforward. Once a bike is checked out of a station, riders have 30 minutes to check the bike back into a station to avoid incurring additional charges on their credit card. A smartphone app exists to help riders locate stations.