Social Biking System Uses GPS Tracking and Cell Phones to Bring Convenient Bike Sharing to NYC
Essentially, SoBi attaches GPS and transmitter-enabled lock boxes onto a bunch of bikes -- any bikes will do, they don't have to be uniform. When the bike is locked up -- anywhere, not just at a designated kiosk as in Paris's system -- it shows up in a map app that directs users to the closest bike. Using the app (or a PIN) you unlock the bike and use it to get where you're going. Your account is charged for the time you use the bike; lock it up at your destination and the meter stops running and the bike becomes available to the next user. A "hold" function will even lock the bike for up to ten minutes without making it available to the next customer, in case you need to simply run indoors for a quick errand.
There are some problems that the scheme fails to solve -- theft will remain an issue -- but all of those problems already existed in other bike share programs. Meanwhile, SoBi claims it can cut the cost per bike from $3,000-4,000 to less than $1,000 because there's no need for infrastructure like bike hubs. You can pick up or drop a bike anywhere on a conventional rack (or street sign, or fence, or handrail, etc.).
A limited beta test will roll out in NYC later this year.
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