Seattle, Washington is the latest city to announce the inception of a bike-sharing program. Pronto Cycle Share started on Monday, establishing itself with 500 green and blue bikes located at 50 stations within the city.
To join, the cost is $8 per day, $16 for a three-day pass, or $85 for a year-long membership. Those who want to borrow a bike can swipe either a credit card or their membership pass to purchase.
Unlike some of the other bike-sharing programs that have been created around the country, the bikes available in Seattle come equipped with seven gears in order to help users navigate up and down the city’s steep hills. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the majority of cities with similar programs have bikes with only three gears.
Helmets are required in Seattle, and Pronto Cycle Share will have a clean helmet bin at every station where riders can pick one up, as well as a separate bin for helmet returns. Each helmet can be borrowed for up to 24 hours and can be returned at any station.
If a bike is not returned within the allotted time period, it will be marked as stolen and the user will be charged a $1,200 fine.
Seattle is using the Portland-based Alta Bicycle Share to incorporate the program into the city, despite Portland having yet to enact a similar program. ABS Vice President Mia Birk told OPD the program “[…] lowers the barrier to entry for people to start using bicycles for daily transportation. And that’s what bike share does, it creates normality around bicycling as a mainstream part of daily life.”
Pronto Cycle Share General Manager Demi Allen told KING 5, “I think it’s huge. It’s going to transform Seattle, It’s going to be great. It’s going to provide another transportation choice and make their lives easier,”
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