AURORA, Colo – There’s a new way to share bikes in Colorado. It’s called the “dockless” system.
Aurora is the first city in Colorado to use it.
The city issued its first bike-share permits to three dockless bike sharing companies – LimeBike, Ofo and Spin, in early October.
LimeBike and Ofo have already set up shop, stationing dozens of bikes throughout the city.
Unlike Denver’s nonprofit B-cycle system, where bikes are locked in racks and must be checked out and returned, Aurora’s bike share system uses no docking stations.
The city says this makes the service more affordable since the companies don’t have to pay for docking stations.
Brenden Paradies of Aurora Planning & Development said the brightly colored lime green, yellow or orange bikes, are stationed at busy public areas like light rail stations, libraries and the Aurora Municipal Center.
He said residents who want to rent them must first download the LimeBike, Ofo or Spin bike share apps.
“All the bikes are equipped with smart (GPS) technology,” he said, “the apps will display little dots which show where the bicycles are located.”
Once you download the app, you can link it to your credit or debit card.
LimeBike costs $1 for every 30 minutes, and Ofo is $1 per hour.
“Once you locate a bike,” Paradies said, “you unlock it with the app, scan the QR code, and then it’ll open up and start your trip.”
When you finish your trip, you leave the bike in a public area and close the back lock, so someone else can rent it.
Paradies said the bikes should not be left on private property.
He said if you leave one of the bikes in your yard or in your garage, you will be charged for it.
When asked if riders can take their bike outside of Aurora, Paradies said some riders will ride them outside the city limits, but must bring them back when they’re done.
He said the City Council’s goal is to reduce travel time and congestion and provide multi-modal mobility choices.
The bike share companies must regularly report fleet and membership statistics and provide the city with a record of maintenance activities.
For more information on the Bike Share Permit Program, visit www.parkAurora.com or contact Brenden Paradies at 303.739.7266 or bparadie@auroragov.org or Anthony Avery at 303.739.7468 or aavery@auroragov.org