Bike sharing is a new way of getting around your city or campus. It’s affordable, clean, and simple. It’s good for your health, your pocket, and our environment.

Imagine a network of bike stations located within a few blocks of one another throughout your community. As a bike-sharing member, you can unlock any of the specially designed bikes at any station and ride it to any other bike station. Fast, simple, inexpensive. It’s no wonder bike sharing has exploded in popularity the past few years.

B-cycle is a next-next-generation bike-sharing program. It is a zero-hassle, zero-emissions way to get around town. It’s a bike-sharing program that meets the transportation, health, and environmental needs of our communities. One that adapts to any size city, corporation, or campus. It’s free and spontaneous, but also practical. 

B-cycle is the only bike-sharing program that measures the actual distance traveled on each ride and keeps track of the calories you’ve burned and the carbon emissions you’ve prevented. All this information is available on your personal B-cycle web page.

B-cycle is the future of bike sharing, and it’s available now.

Imagine a bike that is always ready to ride, where and when you want to ride it. The tires are always inflated and the chain is never rusty. A bike with a basket to carry your knapsack. A bike with front and rear lights and a bell that fits people tall and short. A bike that’s there whenever you need it, and gone when you don’t. That’s a B-cycle. And it’s powered by the ultimate alternative fuel: you.

B-cycle relies on the integration of hardware and software to keep track of members and bikes, and all the interactions between users and bikes. Proprietary GPS (global positioning system) and RFID (radio frequency identification) technologies make it possible for bike sharing to be so smart that it is simple for users.

All rides are tracked by the system and associated with members. Data such as distance, duration, calories burned, and carbon offset are captured and uploaded to personal web pages at Bcycle.com.

Different B-cycle systems (cities, campuses, etc.) charge different amounts, and each system’s website provides all the details. 

The cost to use a B-cycle is divided into two components: a membership fee and a usage fee. 

MEMBERSHIP FEE  

The membership fee provides unlimited access to a B-cycle system for a specific period of time, typically ranging from one day to one year.

USAGE FEE

Usage fees are charged based on the length of each ride taken by a member, and are typically broken down into half-hour increments. In most systems, the first half-hour is free and usage fees are only assessed for rides that exceed 30 minutes. 

Note: Non-public systems (e.g., shared bike systems placed on a corporate campus for the use of company associates) may have no membership fees or usage fees. 

Check the website of your system for details about membership fees and usage fees.

B-cycle requires that all accounts be associated with a credit card. 

Absolutely.

A B-card is a plastic card distributed to B-cycle annual members. The cards contain an RFID chip uniquely associated with each member’s account. When the B-card is presented at a B-cycle dock, the B-cycle system is queried to confirm that the member is in good standing and to associate the member with the bicycle they are checking out. 

When a bicycle is returned, the B-cycle system updates the member’s account.

B-cards also contain a magnetic strip so the cards can be read by the credit card reader found on the kiosk, thereby allowing the B-card holder to obtain time credits when a station is full.

B-cards are issued to all annual members. (Some systems may provide B-cards to members who join for shorter periods of time.) B-cards are generally sent in the mail following online registration, but delivery methods vary from one system to another. Refer to the website of specific systems.

For memberships of thirty days or less, a user’s credit card is charged once or twice. The membership fee will be charged at the time of registration. If any usage fees have accrued during the membership period, a second charge will be processed following the end of the membership period. 

For memberships of more than thirty days, there will be an initial charge for the membership fee at the time of registration, and thereafter there will be a monthly charge for usage fees, if any, accrued during each month of the membership. A final charge will be processed following the end of the membership period. 

Membership periods begin the first time a bike is checked out following initial registration. Daily memberships end 24 hours later. Weekly memberships end 168 hours later (7 days times 24 hours). Monthly memberships end 720 hours later (30 days times 24 hours). Annual memberships end 8,760 hours later (365 days times 24 hours). 

B-cycle operators can sell prepaid gift cards in varying amounts. The gift card contains a promotional code the gift receiver enters on a registration page to partially or fully offset the cost of a membership. The person receiving the gift card must also register a credit card to cover usage fees and other possible fees. 

If you have a membership that is shorter than annual, you can upgrade it to an annual membership by paying the additional amount necessary. To be eligible for this upgrade option, you must upgrade before your other membership expires. For example, if you bought a monthly membership for $20 on July 1 that expires on July 30, you can log in to your personal web page anytime in July and upgrade to an annual membership that will expire on June 30 of the following year. If the cost of an annual membership is $50, you will have to pay only $30 ($50 minus $20) for the upgrade.

Annual members also have the option of automatically renewing their annual memberships by selecting Auto-Renewal in the Account Preferences section of their personal web page.

Personal web pages remain “live” for three years after the lapse of membership. 

Go online to your personal B-cycle web page and suspend your card, or call Customer Service immediately so that we can suspend the card and prevent anyone else from using your card to gain access to a bicycle for which you are financially responsible.

A replacement card will be provided for a nominal fee.

While waiting for your replacement B-card to arrive, you can check out bikes by using the kiosk at each station. You must present the credit card associated with your membership account. 

Call Customer Service.

Membership fees are non-refundable, but if you wish to suspend your account to prevent any new usage fees, call Customer Service or manage your account on your personal B-cycle web page.

 Upon presenting your B-card at a station kiosk or dock for authentication, the system checks whether your account is in good standing. If there is a problem, your card will be denied. Please call Customer Service to determine the cause of the problem.

When registering, members can choose whether they want to receive text notifications. Members can change that preference anytime thereafter by logging into their personal B-cycle web page and managing their account settings.

Members can change their credit card information by logging into their personal B-cycle web page and managing their account settings.

Return a damaged bike to a B-station, if possible, or if that is not possible, securely lock it and contact Customer Service. Do not ride a bike with damage that affects its safety features.

Members are financially liable for damages to bikes under their care. Refer to Terms and Conditions for your system.

Contact Customer Service. Some systems will charge a fee for a lost key. Refer to the website of specific systems.

Contact Customer Service. Under the Terms and Conditions agreed to upon registering for membership, members may be liable up to a specified limit if a bicycle is stolen or lost while under their care. Refer to the Terms and Conditions posted on your system’s website.

Your membership period begins the first time you check out a bike.

Information about each member’s use of B-cycles is posted to that member’s personal B-cycle web page. Members must log in to view the information, which includes such information as the date and duration of each trip, the station from which the bike was checked out and the station to which the bike was returned, the distance pedaled, the usage fee (if any), the associated calories burned, and carbon offset.

B-cycles are equipped with an internal GPS device that tracks the bike’s trips. Other technology associates each trip with the member who checked out the bike. After this information is transferred to B-cycle’s computers, algorithms translate the trip information into estimates of the number of calories burned and carbon emissions avoided (as compared to the use of an average automobile for the same trip). If there are technical errors with the data collection or transfer, an estimate will be applied and clearly noted as such.

When signing up online, only one membership can be associated with a credit card. When buying a one-day membership at a kiosk, more than one membership can be associated with a credit card, but the same card must be presented each time a bike is checked out during the membership period.

Adults may legally ride a bike without a helmet everywhere in the United States, but Heartland B-cycle strongly recommends wearing a helmet whenever riding a bicycle.

No. There are hygiene and safety issues with shared helmet use. It is the responsibility of the rider to supply his or her own helmet. 

Yes!

A B-cycle dock beeps when a bike has been unlocked or when the bike has been returned.

When the bike is unlocked, the dock beeps continuously until the bike is removed (or 30 seconds, whichever comes first). The green light will also flash from the time the bike is unlocked until it is removed from the dock.

When a bike is returned and properly inserted into the dock, the dock will beep three times very quickly, and the green light will likewise blink three times very rapidly.

If the red “X” is lit on the dock, there is a problem with either the bike or the dock itself. Try a different dock!

If the orange “bad card” sign is lit, we need to talk to you about a problem with your membership. Just call the Customer Service number printed on your B-card or displayed on the bikes and kiosk.

Heartland B-cycle accepts users aged 12 and up.

Each system has its own schedule. Some systems will not be open in winter months. Refer to the website of specific systems.

Bikes can be returned any time, regardless of whether the system is open or closed. Two beeps and two green blinks indicate a successful return. 

Please return a bike with a flat tire to the nearest B-station. If that is impossible, you must properly secure the bike with the built-in lock and contact Customer Service via phone.

If there has been an injury, please dial 911 first. If you are qualified to administer first aid and there is a need, please help out to the limit of your abilities. If appropriate, contact the police, as well. As in any accident, exchange information with any other affected party and collect contact information from witnesses. Contact Customer Service at the earliest appropriate time.

If you have a bike you wish to return, but there are no available docks at a station, you must locate a station with available docks and return the bike there. The kiosk located at each station will provide real-time information about which nearby stations have available docks. The kiosks at full stations will also add 15 free minutes to your ride so that you can take the bike to an open station without financial penalty.

The B-cycle website and associated mobile applications for each system provides a map of all B-stations in that system with real-time information about the availability of bikes.

B-cycle does not allow members to reserve a bike.

B-cycle is a bike-sharing system designed to promote the constant use and turnover of bikes for short journeys. The pricing system provides incentives for members to keep their trips short. The longer the trip, the higher the usage fee. B-cycle system operators will seek to recover bikes that have not been returned after a specified period of time, and bikes not returned within a three-day limit will be considered lost and members will be liable for a replacement fee (see the applicable Terms and Conditions).

The B-cycle website and associated mobile applications for each system provide a map of all B-stations in that system. In some locations, maps may also be displayed at B-stations.

To make the kiosk sign-up process as simple and quick as possible, only one-day memberships are available at the kiosks.