Charleston launches Bike Share!

Guest blogpost written by Gotcha Bike company, with comment by Charleston Moves

CHARLESTON TO LAUNCH BIKE SHARE!

Charleston-based Gotcha Bike will launch a bike share program in downtown Charleston this spring. City Council voted earlier this year allowing the company to operate the bike share service on the peninsula. Locals and tourists will be able to rent bikes from stations around the city for a fee and return them to any station on the peninsula when finished riding. The launch date is set for May 23.

Users find and reserve a bike on the app, website or bike keypad and then unlock it with a four-digit code. After riding, they will then see real-time data about their bike ride, such as carbon dioxide emissions reduced, calories burned and money saved versus driving. For example, Gotcha Bike has saved its users more than $50,000 on gas, maintenance and other transportation expenses across 19 markets since first launching in 2015.

MUSC Health is named the Title Partner of the bike share. All Gotcha Bikes will be assembled in Charleston. The bike frames are lightweight and made of rustproof aluminum with waterproof Kevlar seats.

Charleston Moves, excited for the program, feels this way: “We are thrilled that Gotcha Bike will be launching a city-wide bike share system this spring. The system is affordable and convenient, and we pride the City of Charleston, Gotcha Bike and MUSC for being a leader in our region. Charleston has consistently seen an increase in people biking and walking for transportation, and in a major way, this system addresses that growing demand. With 250 more bikes on our streets every day, it is of paramount importance — and a top priority for Charleston Moves — that this increase in demand is met with an increase in safe infrastructure.”