A bicycle sharing system, is a service in which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a very short term basis. The central concept is to provide free or affordable access to bicycles for short-distance trips in an urban area as an alternative to driving, thereby reducing traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution. Bicycle sharing systems have also been cited as a way to solve the “last mile” problem and connect users to public transit networks.
The City of Tampa has created a public/private partnership to select a vendor to implement the program in the urban core. CycleHop, doing business under the name of Tampa Bay Bike Share (http://tampabikeshare.com), won the contract and is expanding to the St. Petersburg area. USF is also in the planning phases of implementing a Bike Share program. The Bike Share in downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg is expected to begin publicity and education efforts in 2013 with bikes available as soon as November 2013.
For more information, visit http://tampabikeshare.com.
