By this time next week we will have 31 stations and 152 bikes in our system; not bad for a system that had 8 stations and 43 bikes this time last year. With this expanded network comes more opportunities to navigate our city by bicycle.  As part of the changes to our system, Heartland B-cycle will be changing our membership pricing and structure. To make accessing the system easier than ever before, we have merged our Annual and Monthly passes into the Heartland Pass.

The new membership will have all of the benefits of being an Annual Member, but will offer two different payment options. Starting today you will be able to pay for a Heartland Pass in two ways: monthly for $10/month or yearly to save $40. All passholders will be able to check out a bike directly from the dock with their B-card.

The monthly payment option is new for Heartland B-cycle. Members who select monthly pay will have their account automatically billed each month and can cancel or reactivate at any time. We wanted to offer an easy, low-cost, affordable way for people to become a Heartland B-cycle member. Our new monthly pay membership is for perfect for anyone who is curious about B-cycle or wants to pay for their membership over time instead of all at once.

What better gift to give for the Holiday season than a key to a City? An Annual Membership to Heartland B-cycle is just that! With unlimited access to Heartland B-cycle's 31 stations throughout the metro area an Annual Membership to Heartland B-cycle IS your key to the City.

We have been working with our friend Kurt Elder (@KurtJamesElder) from the City of Lincoln Urban Development Department on analyzing anonmyous GPS data of B-cycle trips recently made available to us. Kurt has generated several images that are both interesting and instructive.

Regional View of All Unique GPS Points

The above map shows all of the places that B-cycles have been in the metro area. As you can see there is a broad range of locations and even a Taco Ride or two in there.

Regional 3-D Usage

On the above map the darker and taller the line, the more frequently a B-cycle has travelled along that segment. You begin to see clusters of activity along the Keystone and around the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. While the heaviest activities are in those areas, there is also activity throughout both Downtown and Aksarben Village as well as trips in between the two. 

Aksarben Village 3-D Usage

This map looks north from the south side of Askarben Village. You can see that while B-cycles have been almost everywhere in the area, most people tend to go south on the Keystone. 

Downtown 3-D Usage

This map is looking northwest into Downtown. As you can see most B-cycle trips tend to go along the Riverfront or across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and east into Council Bluffs. But there is also a lot of place to place trips taken as well.

 B-cycle Bike Share Experiencing Record Ridership

(OMAHA, NE)  Visitors and residents alike are discovering the magic of bike sharing during the College World Series. The opening weekend of the series created the two highest ridership days since the system came to Omaha in 2011 with Sunday surpassing Saturday as the best day in system history. 387 trips have been taken on Omaha B-cycle’s 57 bikes since Friday morning, with 182 rides taken on Saturday and Sunday, and 102 of the rides coming on Sunday alone.  

 “It is no surprise to us that usage has been up significantly during the College World Series,” said Ben Turner, program director. “Bike sharing provides a tremendously convenient transportation option for Omaha - especially during its busiest events.”

 The popular bike-share system is used regularly for both transportation and recreation. Omaha has six kiosks in downtown Omaha and five in Aksarben Village with a total of 57 bicycles.

 “The year isn’t even half over and we have already had more rides than all of 2013,” explained Turner. “Last month [May 2014] was the system’s busiest month with 1,105 rides."

To use the system, individuals purchase a daily, monthly, or annual access pass, then pick up a B-cycle at any station and return it to any station, as many times as they choose during the access period. Access pass is activated at the first check-out and riders are allowed unlimited checkouts. Checkouts longer than an hour incur additional charges.

For a complete listing of B-cycle stations or for more information, visit https://omaha.bcycle.com/