Bike Share Kicks Off With Celebrations Thursday

Palo Alto will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the start of the Bay Area Bike Share program this Thursday.

Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd, Councilwoman Gail Price and a VTA representative will welcome the bikes on August 29 at 10 a.m. at the University Avenue and Emerson Street Bike Share Station, 171 University Avenue—the site of one the five docking stations in the city.
Other docking stations include the Palo Alto and California Avenue Stations, the Cowper Street at University Avenue and Park Boulevard at Olive Avenue.

"Palo Alto has the highest bicycle mode use for commuters and students than any other city in Santa Clara County, and the Bike Share program will support those last mile trips between Caltrain, the downtown area and Stanford University," said Palo Alto City Manager James Keene with a hint of the future Stanford docking stations. "Bike sharing is a great way to encourage commuters to leave their cars at home, and the City is excited to participate in a program that will enhance the bicycle networks in our community."

Rates to join Bay Area Bike Share will be $88 for an annual pass, $22 for a three-day pass and $9 for a daily pass. Each pass provides for unlimited trips during the membership period, with no additional cost for the first 30 minutes of each trip. Trips that exceed 30 minutes will incur surcharges. 

The Bike Share program encouraged people to sign-up for annual memberships and the first 1,000 member would be considered founding members. So far only 787 people have become annual members, according to VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress. (Disclosure: This editor is number 60!).

After the Palo Alto launch, the public will have access to shared bicycles 24 hours a day, seven days a week at specific locations within the cities of San Francisco, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose.