It's no secret that Phoenix tends to arrive to the LA and NYC trend parties a little on the tardy side. Lucky for downtown Phoenix residents, that isn't the case when it comes to the latest big-city trend of bike share programs.
New York recently launched its bike share service, Citi Bike, and Phoenix is already working on its own version, which is scheduled to roll out this December.
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The team that was chosen to operate, fund, and supply the equipment for the program consists of CycleHop, Social Bicycles, and SandVault.
CycleHop has been involved in bike share programs for more than 20 years, and the company will be responsible for operating the system. SandVault, based in Canada, will provide the station kiosks for the bikes, and Social Bicycles (an NYC-based start-up) will supply its "smart bikes."
The program is expected to start off with 300 to 500 bikes and 30 station locations, with a plan to grow to about 1,500 bikes in the coming years. Exact station locations and pricing have yet to be determined.
CycleHop's CEO Josh Squire says that the plan is to work with the city, as well as seek input from residents and the business community before selecting locations.
The bicycles will be equipped with a GPS-enabled locking system, which will lock to bike racks at the various hub locations slated for downtown Phoenix.
Social Bicycles' CEO Ryan Rzepecki says he hopes to quickly spread the program throughout the entire state of Arizona.
