New bike-sharing program to roll in Long Beach

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Unlike DecoBike or Citi Bike, in which users can pick up and drop off a rental bike at kiosks around town, SoBi bikes include built-in locks and GPS units. A user can unlock a bike at a customized bike rack with a pin number, and at the end of the ride, re-enter the pin to lock it up. The bikes use wireless technology that works with any bike rack, representatives said, and reduces the need for kiosks. A customer can reserve a bike from the company’s website, using a mobile application, at point-of-purchase kiosks or directly on the bike itself.

“For those of you that are familiar with bike-sharing or maybe saw Citi Bike, the core difference is that instead of having those large docking stations and the locking system on those docking points, for us the locking system is on the bike itself,” said Ryan Rzepecki, Social Bicycles’ founder and chief executive officer. “It makes it more cost-effective, it makes it more user-friendly and makes it more flexible for the needs of this community.”

Schnirman said that was part of SoBi’s appeal, especially after DecoBike’s somewhat rocky rollout, which sparked criticism among some residents. “Residents had raised some complaints about the size and impact of Deco’s infrastructure — those big concrete pads — which was a more costly approach,” he said, referring to complaints about the kiosks in residential locations. “The technology that [Social Bicycles] offer, the community building aspect, the app and the fact that their technology is on the bicycle and less of an investment, less infrastructure, less in the way and more cost-effective,” would be an improvement, he added.

Though the city said that the program would “kick-start” this summer with demonstration bikes, a formal launch will begin in 2015, when SoBi rolls out 200 bikes around town, with planned locations at or near the Long Island Rail Road station and on the boardwalk. Schnirman said that SoBi is looking to partner with local businesses to offer its bike rental program ahead of the official launch.

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