We live in a golden age of bike-sharing schemes. But is this interesting form of public transportation effective? Like most things, the answer isn't as simple as 'yes' or 'no.'
A quick look at some of the things that make bike-sharing work (or not):
Number of bike share programs worldwide: 200
Number of bike-sharing schemes earning yearly profits: 0
Number of US cities with Bike Share programs: 10
Number of bikes in Washington’s bike share program: 1,000
Cost of subsidization per bicycle: $7,000
Expected number of bikes in New York’s scheme next year: 10,000
Number bikes in Paris Velib: 20,000
Percentage of original bikes destroyed/stolen: 80
Percentage of bikes stolen/vandalized in Edmonton’s People’s Pedal program: 95
Year Hangzhou bike share started: 2008
Number of bikes in 2008: 2,800
Distance between docking stations: ¼ mile
Number of bike share bicycles in Hangzhou today: 50,000
Number of annual tourists in Hangzhou: 20 million
Number of annual tourists in London: 15 million
Month Guangzhou officials discussed implementing bike share: May 2010
Month bike share launched: June 2010
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