Oahu to Implement Bike-Share Program

If you happen to be living or traveling in Oahu next summer, you may be able to get around on new rental bicycles that are part of a proposed ride-share program.

Starting next June, Oahu plans to launch the Momentum B-cycle project, a privately-funded pilot program with a goal is of having bike racks across Oahu located within a five mile radius of rail transit stops.

People would be able to pay to rent a bike in one place, and leave it at a designated rack at their destination. Initially, there will be ten solar-powered bike racks where riders will be able to unlock a bike by swiping either their credit card or bike-share pass.

People who paid for the service would be able to check bikes out and drop them off at locations on Oahu, making it easier for residents and tourists to access mass transit and other points of interest around the island.

Anyone who wants to use the bikes will be able to purchase a weekly, monthly or yearly pass.

To make sure the bikes are used efficiently and not kept overnight or stolen, people will be charged an increased fee every half hour until they reach the $100 mark. The first half hour of use is free, with $2 for the second, $5 for the third half hour, etc. The charges will stop after $100, but if a bike has not been returned after 48 hours, the person’s credit card will be charged for the full $900 cost of the bike.

Bike share programs have been popular in several European cities, such as Paris, Munich, Barcelona, and Austria. In the United States, Washington D.C. has been using the successful Smart Bike program. If the Momentum B-cycle program is successful, it could expand to eventually create two or three new bike stations around Honolulu each month.