Overview | |
---|---|
Locale | Cardiff, Reading and Farnborough, United Kingdom |
Transit type | Bicycle sharing system |
Operation | |
Began operation | 2004 |
OYBike was a bicycle sharing scheme in west London, Reading, Farnborough and Cardiff in the United Kingdom. The Cardiff scheme ended 23 December 2011 with OYBike citing a lack of ongoing sponsorship.
The program is similar to, but not exactly the same as, other programs in different cities. The OYBike system was developed by former-cabbie Bernie Hanning over the last 20 years but officially launched as a trial in 2004. [1] Hanning sees these bikes as one aspect of a larger public transportation network. [2] Trials began in Hammersmith and Fulham in West London where the scheme was put in place at tube stations and theatres with the support of the local council. [2] The relative ease with which an OYBike hire station can be erected has been cited as potential for growth in the city of London, [1] however the scheme has now been superseded by Barclays Cycle Hire.
Users pay an initial fee and are then charged based on usage. The account is topped back up once usage reduces the balance. [3] A mobile phone can be used to receive the code needed to unlock a bike for immediate use. [4] The bike can be returned to any OYBike station. [2]
A bicycle-sharing system, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a short term basis for a price or free. Many bike share systems allow people to borrow a bike from a "dock" and return it at another dock belonging to the same system. Docks are special bike racks that lock the bike, and only release it by computer control. The user enters payment information, and the computer unlocks a bike. The user returns the bike by placing it in the dock, which locks it in place. Other systems are dockless.
Cardiff city centre is the city centre and central business district of Cardiff, Wales. The area is tightly bound by the River Taff to the west, the Civic Centre to the north and railway lines and two railway stations – Central and Queen Street – to the south and east respectively. Cardiff became a city in 1905.
Transport in Cardiff, capital and most populous city in Wales involves road, rail, bus, water and air. It is a major city of the United Kingdom and a centre of employment, government, retail, business, culture, media, sport and higher education.
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Cycles Devinci is a Canadian bicycle manufacturer established in Chicoutimi, Quebec in 1987. In addition to a full line of road, mountain and hybrid bicycles, it also manufactures the BIXI-brand of bicycle used in bicycle sharing schemes in cities such as Montreal and Toronto. Devinci supplies a similar bicycle to Santander Cycles in London, England.
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Cycling infrastructure refers to all infrastructure permissible for use by cyclists, including the network of roads and streets used by motorists, except where cyclists are excluded, along with bikeways from which motor vehicles are excluded – including bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Cycling infrastructure also includes amenities such as bike racks for parking, shelters, service centers and specialized traffic signs and signals. Cycling modal share is strongly associated with the size of local cycling infrastructure.
Motivate is a company based in New York City that operates bicycle sharing systems in the United States. The systems provide a flexible method for completing short trips, as contrasted with the longer rentals offered by traditional bike rental companies. In July 2018 the company was acquired by Lyft.
Melbourne Bike Share was a bicycle sharing system that served the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. The stations and bicycles were owned by the government and operated in a public-private partnership with RACV. Launched in 2010, the network utilized a system designed by Montreal-based PBSC Urban Solutions with 600 bicycles operating from 51 stations. Melbourne Bike Share was one of two such systems in Australia until the Victorian Government shut down the service on 30 November 2019.
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Cycling in the United Kingdom has a long history, since the earliest days of the bicycle, and after a decline in the mid-20th century has been undergoing a resurgence in recent decades.
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