• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

BikeTexas

Advancing Bicycle Access, Safety, and Education

$0.00
(0)

Free shipping on all bike lights

Shop the BikeTexas Store!

  • Advocacy
    • Get Involved – Identify Your Legislators
    • TAP Funding
    • Complete Streets
      • Get Involved
      • Sign the Petition
    • Shifting Gears
    • Safe Passing
      • Safe Passing FAQs
    • National Bike Summit
    • VIP Bike Rides
    • NCSL Bike Rides
    • Legislative Success
    • Bikes on Driver Test Bill
    • Action Alerts
    • Matthew Brown Act
    • Contact Your Representative
    • Contacting City Council Members
    • Enhancements
    • Memorial Funds
  • Education
    • BikePedEd Books and Lights
      • BikePedEd Order Form
      • BikePedEd Sample Request
    • Educational Resources
      • Safe Routes to School Handbook
      • SafeCyclist Teacher Master Pages
    • SafeCyclist Curriculum and Certification
    • College Active Transportation Safety (CATS)
      • Presentations
      • CATS Resources and Activities
      • Safety Bling! Music Video
    • Texas Trails & Active Transportation Conference
    • Best Practices
    • BikeTexas KidsKup
      • Event Schedule
    • Share the Road Adult Education
    • Texas in Motion
  • Roads & Trails
    • Texas Bicycle Laws – 8 Things to Know
    • IMBA Rules of The Trail
    • Texas Active Living Network
    • BikeTexas Benchmark Study
    • North Texas Trails
  • About Us
    • BikeTexas BikeNews
      • Get Our Newsletter
    • Mission and Vision
    • Strategic Plan 2014-2019
    • Reports & Audits
    • Members
      • Individual Memberships
      • Business Memberships
      • Org and Club Membership
    • Contact Us
    • BikeTexas Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Board
    • Press Room
      • BikeTexas In The News
      • Press Releases
      • Resolutions
    • Memorial Funds
    • Employment
    • Earth Share
    • Annual Meeting
  • Become a Member
  • Donate
  • Store
  • eBike Tours
  • My account
    • Orders
    • Addresses
    • Payment methods
    • Account details
  • Cart
You are here: Home / BikeTexas BikeNews / BikeNews; Community / San Antonio launches Texas’ first modern bike share system
San Antonio launches Texas’ first modern bike share system

San Antonio launches Texas’ first modern bike share system

Dozens of people showed up at 7:30am on Saturday March 26, 2011 in downtown San Antonio for the launch of Texas’ first modern bike share program.

The event was an un-official launch and a chance to get volunteers to distribute the bikes at the 15 bike stations around downtown. BikeTexas staff were present to help and to highlight what a significant moment this was for all of Texas.

The B-Cycle system (seen also in Denver and Chicago), much like their competitors Public Bikeshare (seen in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Montreal, and London), entices users to replace short car trips downtown with a bike.

The easy-to-use system allows residents and visitors to purchase a membership using a credit card at any station around town. Memberships are $10 for 24 hours, or you can pay $25 for a week or $60 for a year at the website sanantonio.bycle.com.

As a member, you get free access to any bike for 30 minutes at a time. The farthest distance between any two stations is only about a 20 minute ride, so this allows you to take a bike from one station and deposit it securely at another close to your destination, then walk to where you need to go.

The bikes themselves are friendly for anyone. The seat adjusts to fit a broad range of heights with a quick-release lever, but has a mechanism so it can’t be stolen. Lights on front and back are powered by generators so they’re on all the time. The chain is completely encased so it won’t mess up your clothes. There’s a built in bell to let people know how much fun you’re having, and a basket that can carry a couple bags of groceries.

One group of tourists from Kansas arrived at Hemisfair Park just after the station there got its first bikes. They took out four bikes, and two hours later were still station-hopping to stay within the half-hour limit. “We’ve been coming to San Antonio for ten years,” they said, “and we’ve seen more of the city today than we ever have before.”

San Antonio Bikeshare is a non-profit organization established to run the San Antoino B-Cycle operations, with staff support from local bicycle retailer Bike World San Antonio, and start-up funding from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Communities Putting Prevention to Work Initiative (part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009). The national B-Cycle program is a product of the combined efforts of Humana, Trek Bicycle Corporation, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Local sponsors for San Antonio include Bike World, San Antonio’s Office of Environmental Policy – San Antonio Bikes, The Mighty Group, Clear Channel Outdoor, The Historic Pearl Brewery, Tejas Premier Building Contractor, Marmon|Mok Architecture, and the Law Offices of Thomas L. McKenzie

Our Sponsors

Primary Sidebar

DONATE

Support access, safety, and education for all people who ride bikes in Texas.

SHOP OUR STORE

Bike lights, t-shirts, jerseys, and more.

GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign up today to stay informed about how bicycling is improving in Texas!

PREMIERE BUSINESS MEMBERS & SPONSORS

Support Texas Cycling

Become a Member

Individual • Business • Club/Team • Event

BikePedEd

Bike education materials for your classroom, youth organization, and more.

Shop BikeTexas Store

Bike Lights, Jerseys, License Plates, T-Shirts, and more

Order License Plates

Share your love for bikes while driving your car

Donate to the Cause

Support access, safety, and education for all people who ride bikes in Texas.

Safety & Education

SafeCyclist Training

Get certified to teach the SafeCyclist Curriculum

Educational Resources

Resources for teachers and community members

SRTS Event Handbook

Mission and Vision

MISSION BikeTexas advances bicycle access, safety, and education. We encourage and promote bicycling, increased safety, and improved conditions. We unite and inspire people and provide a cohesive voice for people who ride bikes in … Read More » about Mission and Vision

Donate to BikeTexas’ Advocacy and Education Efforts

Get Our Newsletter

Footer

PREMIERE BUSINESS MEMBERS & SPONSORS

Get Involved

  • Membership Matters
  • Volunteer
  • Best Practices
  • Be There
  • Contacting Your Representative
  • Get Involved – Identify Your Legislators
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Order Your BikeTexas Jersey

BikeTexasJersey-2012-Front
BikeTexas
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
dero dealer
BIKETEXAS | Advancing Bicycle Access, Safety, and Education | © 2023 Texas Bicycle Coalition dba BikeTexas
Website by Logical Things