Seattle’s long-anticipated bike-share program will launch in September.
Puget Sound Bike Share (PSBS) is seeking public input on where to put the program’s 50 docking stations, planned for locations throughout Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, downtown and the U District. People can vote on preapproved locations or suggest a new one using an online tool at http://psbs-soulside.dotcloud.com/page/about.
A series of neighborhood workshops to be held next month will provide further opportunity to vote on stations and learn more about the program before the station locations are submitted to the City of Seattle for permitting in June.
Stations will be completely mobile, meaning that they can be scaled up or down or relocated.
Holly Houser, the program’s coordinator, said bike sharing may expand in the next few years, if there is enough funding and demand for it.
Annual, three-day and 24-hour memberships will be available for purchase for a fee of approximately $85, $14, and $8, respectively. Users will be required to have a membership in order to use one of the program’s 500 bikes, but no additional fees will be charged while using the bikes for 30 minute transportation stints.
Helmet rental or purchase will also be available, though riders are welcome to provide their own.
Houser said PSBS is working on offering a discounted fee for low-income members but could not provide details. PSBS will release details of the program, including its name, logo and the color of the bikes, next month.
Houser said the program could make biking more useful, “changing how people experience the urban landscape, and the way people connect with their surroundings as they travel around the city.”