Common Bike 2.0 will be back at a larger scale

Common Bike is a community based bike sharing system that suits Melbourne as a city and supports local economy. Common Bike will be soon available everywhere in the CBD and at several hubs in the inner suburbs.

Common Bike is a low cost high performance bike sharing program. As it needs no dedicated infrastructure on the streets, it is highly flexible and can be implemented quickly. Common bike uses modern (moblile) internet technology to keep the cost low and service level high.

Common bikes can be borrowed from staffed and un-staffed locations. At the staffed hubs, a large amount of bikes are available, service is available, and helmets can be rented or bought. Staffed hubs will be located at main railway stations and other places with a high demand. There will be also staffed hubs at all existing shops / business that want to participate in Common Bike 2.0. This will include several hubs in the suburbs.

Within the CBD (or an other to specify area) bikes can be picked up and returned from all existing bike parking racks or all corners of the streets. This un-staffed solution makes Common bike available at a few hundred locations. Members can get the code for the lock either via mobile internet (iphone, google phone, …) via text-message or by calling our call centre / voice response system.

Common Bike has been designed as community orientated: locations at Melbourne businesses and iconic locations; hubs in close proximity to each other to strengthen networks between suburbs; networks which promote diverse and healthy movement. All aspects of Common Bike have been designed with scalability in mind.
Common bike will truly community based. It will be run by a non-profit association together with a lot of local businesses as a kind of franchise formula.

Common bike will use sturdy, unisex bikes with (internal) gear to keep the maintenance low. Common Bike tries to buy the bikes from a local firm.

The aim of Common Bike is to advocate and create awareness of bicycle use as an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable mode of transport.

RMIT Industrial Design Students initiated Common Bike as a pilot bicycle sharing system, to raise awareness and spark ideas about a public bicycle system in Melbourne during May 2009. pilot: Commonbike.com

Common Bike hopes to be back with a large scale bicycle scheme.