Austin Bike Share Rolls Out

On Wednesday, city officials announced the rollout of the Austin bike share program. Service will launch Dec. 21 with 110 bikes and 11 stations, including one sponsored by the Chronicle. The full project will be completed by March 1, 2014, with expanded stations planned to service the UT-Austin campus, Riverside Drive, Zilker Park, and East Austin.

These first locations were whittled down from the suggestions provided by Austinites over the summer. Voters were also able to choose the bicycle color, ultimately settling on red. The adjustable bikes will each be outfitted with front and rear lights, bells, and baskets. Day-to-day operation and maintenance will be handled by the Bike Share of Austin nonprofit.

Annual memberships for the service will be offered at $80, weekly passes at $25, and day passes at $8. Less frequent users can check out a bike for free for the first 30 minutes, but will be charged $4 for every half hour thereafter.

For a limited time, a Founding Membership card is also being offered for $250, which includes a three-year membership, plus recognition on the Austin B-cycle website (http://austin.bcycle.com). The first 25 founding members to sign up will be the first Austinites to ride the bikes at the Dec. 21 kickoff event. You can sign up online, or through the Apple or Android apps.