Pricing Details Start to Solidify For July Bike-Share Launch

The general shape of the pricing scheme for New York's bike-share system -- an annual membership cheaper than a monthly Metrocard, according to the early buzz from DOT -- has been floating out there for a while. Now, with the system set to go live in July, the details are starting to get nailed down.

Speaking at the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show last weekend, DOT policy director Jon Orcutt revealed the current thinking on how much it'll cost to use one of the 10,000 public bicycles soon to appear on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Doug Gordon moderated the discussion, and he's got the info on his blog:

• An annual membership will cost $95.
• A one-day membership will cost $10.
• The first 45 minutes of any ride will incur no additional charges to annual members beyond the initial subscription fee.
• Lower membership levels, such as one-day and multi-day options, will have a shorter “free” ride limit: 30 minutes.

As Gordon notes, nothing's set in stone until the system goes into operation. Also, both Washington, D.C. and Boston have offered online deals to price-conscious consumers who passed on the first wave of sign-ups.

New Yorkers anxious for bike-share to move from concept to reality should be getting an even bigger treat shortly. The preliminary map of all 600 station locations is expected to be posted online in the very near future.