Bikeshare

So... another thing I preluded to in a previous post... the bikeshare program we have in Indy. It's been officially dubbed as the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare locally, but the parent company is called B-Cycle. Which I was surprised to find had locations all over the US. All of which we can use our Indy membership with.

So for those who have no idea what a bikeshare is, it's actually quite simple. You can pay by the day or by the year (or, in come cities, by the week or month is also an option). The membership fee includes rides up to a half-hour at a time before you need to either dock it, or get charged an additional fee for the next half-hour. The rates are really reasonable, too, and if you live in an area with them, it's worth it. Eric and I have our own bikes, but still chose to join.

So why, if Eric and I have our own bike, do we use a bikeshare? There's advantages. First off, the cruiser style bike is easier to ride in the urban landscape. Secondly, we don't have to worry about locking up our own bikes at our destination. We just un-dock at one station near our house (or wherever), and re-dock it at a station near of destination. And finally, we don't maintain these bikes, which also means less maintenance on our own bikes.

Eric likes to use his membership to get to/from meetings since he works downtown and most of his meeting are downtown. He doesn't typically go to meetings that require a tie, so it's easy. I'm a more leisurely user, mainly on the weekends when we want to go grab something to eat. It's just so easy! There's even baskets on the bikes that allow for you to haul some small stuff, like a small grocery bag, or books, etc. Again, just easy!

This was not our first encounter with a bikeshare. Chicago has had a few forms of a bikeshare now. Ours is like a sixth generation version of a bikeshare... and I think they finally have it figured out. So if you're ever in a city that has any form of a bikeshare, don't be afraid to check it out... it's not just for locals, nor is it just for the tourists. It's for whoever wants to ride.