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At a ribbon cutting on Friday, Orlando Bike Share launched its short-term bike rental program.

City and County officials attended the event at the OUC Reliable Plaza bike sharing station.

Before a short group ride led by Mayor Dyer, OUC President Dan Kirby and Florida Hospital VP for Community Health Impact Verbelee Neilson-Swanson spoke about their support of the program. OUC and Florida Hospital are sponsors of the program and are included in advertising on the bikes’ baskets.

Twenty bikes around downtown Orlando are available for use at four locations, including OUC’s downtown building. The other stations are at Lake Eola near World of Beer, SkyHouse near the Kevin Tyjeski Park, and on Gertrude’s walk at the intersection with Central Ave.

This morning we became a bike share member. The membership process was simple enough using the desktop version of the website. Membership signup is also available on smartphones through the SoBi app.

Members can locate and reserve a specific bike using the desktop website or app, and unlock it using their pin code on the bike’s back panel. Members can also access the bike directly, without reserving it, by entering their account number and pin code. The bike can be ridden and returned to another station, or left outside of a station (also called a hub) for an additional fee.

Bike rentals begin at $5/hour. Long-term membership rates are available for those interested in using the bikes more regularly. Founding memberships will be available soon according to Orlando Bike Share’s General Manager Peter Martinez. People who have already purchased memberships will be able to upgrade to Founding members when it opens.

The City has provided an FAQ on their website, and comprehensive information on the program is available at Orlando Bike Share’s website.

Using bike share is on our 2015 Downtown Orlando Bucket List. 

 

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After signing up for a membership, we received an account number and pin code. After waking up the bike, by pressing any button, we entered our account number first.
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The bike then connected with the Social Bicycles (SoBi) network.
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We entered our pin code next.
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The bike unlocked once it recognized our pin, which was almost instantaneous.
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A side saddle designed for the U-lock holds it in place during a ride.
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The time, distance, and cost of the ride were displayed on the bike.
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Once we were done with our “ride” we locked the bike back up. We stayed in “hub” and used one of the bike share racks provided at the station. The bike notified us that it had been returned.

 

 

 

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  6. Bungalower Have you eaten at City Diner lately? New owners, nice remodel, and great food! Former owners of Juniors Diner, now downtown!!

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