PBS Public Bike System Plug ‘n’ Play Swipe ‘n’ Ride

Posted on September 1, 2008 by Doug Gunzelmann in Cars+Tranportation, Concept+Design, Travel

A human on a bike is extremely efficient and green as can be. The new PBS riding program is a scalable operation that will make this simple form of transportation available to that hard to reach portion of our society (the lazy!). Some simple hindrances to bike commuting for the average Joe are availability, money (for a bike), storage, maintenance, and the volition to get the gear and go. PBS (Public Bike System) developed by world-renowned industrial designer Michel Dallaire is already in operation in Montreal and allows you to swipe your credit card and roll out! The entire system is designed to appeal to the public, take a beating, run on solar power, and make bike sharing a reality.

The bikes themselves feature clean lines and a sleek look that in no way compromises their sturdiness and safety. Design elements are carried over to the technical platforms, bike docks and pay stations. All with the intention making the PBS an enhancement to the urban landscape, not an impediment to enjoying it.

The modular design of the bike docking stations allows them to be quickly set up, transported, arrange, or dismantled to meet the needs of the location (this means adaptability to many urban landscapes). It also means less infrastructered and building is required to implement a station. The PBS is truly a bike share for the modern city with features that leave no excuse for not biking. Users can:

Consult Website to find station nearest them and their destination
Find out in real time number of bikes and parking spots currently available at any station
Rent bike at any station of their choosing
Return bike to any station of their choosing
Choose bike they wish to rent – not have one assigned by system
Rent bike for any length of time
Pay for rental in various forms: credit card, debit card, member card
Notify system at bike dock of any damaged or defective bike and choose another quickly and easily

Since the stations are wireless they are indeed plug ‘n’ play with no required wiring, cables, or electrical work necessary. The bikes have important and delicate components and controls fully incased to protect against damage and weather. Their appearance is attractive and their construction is of light and strong aluminum with dimensions and angles suitable for an array of rider body types, low center of gravity for easy handling, and full times lighting and reflectors for safety. To pay you can stuff some cash in the docking station, swipe your favorite credit card, or use your membership card.

Tags:

bike share, pbs, public bike system

12 Responses to “ PBS Public Bike System Plug ‘n’ Play Swipe ‘n’ Ride ”

Si

02. Sep, 2008

is this going on some where or is this still in the idea stage?

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- Cathy
  
  25. Mar, 2009
  
  Why didn’t OBAMA think of this? What a great idea everyone has to ride a bike instead of buying foreign fuel.
  
  Why couldn’t my brain thought of this?
  
  Gifted Liver Transplant August 30 2008
  
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Doug

02. Sep, 2008

@SI

“PBS (Public Bike System) developed by world-renowned industrial designer Michel Dallaire is already in operation in Montreal and allows you to swipe your credit card and roll out! “

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conan

02. Sep, 2008

They use this system in Paris, also.

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Natovr

02. Sep, 2008

I would miss gears on bikes like that… I love going out for a ride in a park and going really fast using gears

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editor, chokingplanet

02. Sep, 2008

Let’s hope they can keep this ecommunism contained north of the border. Would hate to think of real Americans having to exert so much energy just to move around the city, especially as the climate gets warmer.

Must put a lot of bike thieves out of work though.

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web design company

02. Sep, 2008

A human on a bike is extremely efficient and green as can be. The new PBS riding program is a scalable operation that will make this simple form of transportation available to that hard to reach portion of our society (the lazy!).

Reply to this comment
Pol

02. Sep, 2008

This has been running in Barcelona for about a year or two now. It’s called “Bicing”.

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Newman

20. Feb, 2009

I LOVE THE IDEA. I ride all the time and build bikes but this would be great for friends without bikes and when on vacation and you don’t bring your bike….

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Kelly

27. Mar, 2009

From my experience, the biggest reason keeping people from riding bikes for transporatation is safety hazards. What really needs to happen to get more people on bikes is for municipalities to create safer road conditions (i.e. clear bike lanes) for cyclists. I’ve been commuting by bike to work for more than a year now, and many of my co-workers seem I’m a little crazy for doing so. My mom constantly worries about me, and, in fact, I often question the decision myself.

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- Matt Embrey
  
  28. Mar, 2009
  
  Kelly,
  
  You are right about that. In some cities it’s a downright warzone on the road. What city do you live in?
  
  It seems like cities and towns are becoming more cognizant of cyclists and becoming more bike friendly. For a list of bike friendly cities check out: http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bicyclefriendlyamerica/communities/
  
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Choking Planet » Blog Archive » Canadian Mounted

14. Oct, 2008

[...] to an article on the enemy site GreenUpgrader, a public bike rental system is now in use, just to the north of real America (the one with a [...]

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