Many of the empty bike racks popping up around San Diego were finally filled Friday, ready for people to give them a whirl.
The bike-sharing program called DecoBike wheeled in bicycles at 20 of its 80 existing stations across the city on Friday — an unfortunately rainy day.
The idea is that anyone — tourist or local can pick up a bike at a solar-powered station and drop it off at any other location they choose. Vice President of Operations David Silverman said it’s the greenest, healthiest way to get around, and it’ll cost you less than a cab.
"A lot of people who visit San Diego who come for conventions or just here in town don't have a vehicle, they can use this to get from point A to point B,” said Silverman. “So if they wanna explore other parts of San Diego such as Balboa Park, Little Italy, or the beaches, they can technically ride a bike to those areas."
But the full DecoBike roll out has been a long ride.
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The first stations were installed back in October, but the bikes themselves have taken longer than expected to arrive.
"There's been some delays with manufacturing and as well as community outreach. So we've done very extensive community outreach and wanted to get the input from the community,” said Silverman. “But we're happy because we overcame some of those obstacles and finally have the bikes out today."
So Silverman and other DecoBike employees braved the rain and handed out helmets Friday to those willing to hop on the new bikes.
The pay structure breaks down this way: for a one-time user, you can rent a bike for $5 for every half-hour, $7 for an hour, and $12 for two hours. A whole day will cost you $15, a week will be $35 and a month will set you back $50.
The company also has memberships, which run $20 per month for unlimited 30 minute rides or $30 month for unlimited $60 minute rides.
DecoBike will continue adding bikes to its 80 existing stations, and eventually 180 of the high-tech bike racks will dot the city — from beaches to parks to downtown. Click here for a map.
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