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With the opening of Grid Bike Share, Phoenix joins the ranks of 36 other U.S. cities with highly successful bike share programs and other international countries with similar programs.
“This is yet another way we’re making the city bicycle-friendly — something that’s key to recruiting the right kind of jobs to Phoenix,” Mayor Greg Stanton. “With Grid Bike Share in place, as well as City Council approval this week of a Bicycle Master Plan, Phoenix is well-positioned to become a city where it is safe and easy to bike almost anywhere. We look forward to launching a high-performance system that residents and visitors will be able to use and enjoy.”
Grid Bike Share will provide Phoenix residents and visitors with a new transportation option that is fun, environmentally friendly and convenient for making short trips around the city. Individuals will be able to access a bicycle by purchasing a membership or a pass.
Grid Bike Share was named after the Valley’s grid system of streets and avenues, which makes moving (and finding your way) from point A to point B easy. When Grid Bike Share launches it will enhance the city’s grid connection.
In preparation for the launch, CycleHop – the system’s operations vendor – has begun installing the first round of bike stations that are planned for the system. These stations are located primarily along the central core of the city and were identified based on proximity to transit facilities, major entertainment and employment centers, and from suggestions that were provided by the community. A map with station locations is available at gridbikes.com.
To ensure overall system performance, the Grid Bike Share operations team is also testing the system’s wireless technology connections and payment transactions, the assembly of bicycles, and the daily operations logistics that will be required to manage the new system.
Leading up to the initial launch, the system’s founding members (the first 100 people who signed up to become Grid Bike Share members) will be given access to Grid bicycles to further assist with the initial testing of the system and to help refine the daily operations of the system.
For more information about Grid Bike Share, visit the website. For the latest updates on the system, follow GRID on Twitter at @GridBikes or like GRID on Facebook.
