Shame on me! I was super skeptical last weekend when told that Capital Bikeshare would be ready for its September 20 launch. 1,000bikes? 100 stations? No way!
Yes way!
And it's already here in Mount Pleasant. The new Capital Bikeshare station has been installed and is in service (sans bikes) right in our very own Lamont Park. The station is solar powered, the card reader is operational, signage is up and the automated bike dispensers are in place. Just awaiting the bikes!
One question I had was answered by visiting the station. I knew that a one-day membership was $5, but I wondered what CaBi (their abbreviation!) would do to insure riders returned the bike. Well, similar to a common car rental practice, CaBi will place a $101 hold on your credit card for a 24 hour membership until the 24 hour period is over. Of course if you register for a longer term (30 days or 1 year), that won't be the case. Your card will already be registered. You'll get the bike for no cost for 30 minutes, then pay more depending on how long you keep the bike before docking it back in a station. According to Capital Bikeshare, they've signed up close to 1,000 members already. They have an introductory offer of $50 for one year, down from the regular fee of $75. Pretty cool. Some photos:
