Vancouver city council voted to approve a proposal to set up a bike share system July 23.
The city will be a strategic partner with Alta Bicycle Share, the Portland-based company who will own, finance and operate the system. The city will contribute up to $6 million to assist with the costs of setting up the system, and will continue to contribute $500,000 every year to support the bike share.
The service will begin in early 2014. Users will be able to pay either a $95 yearly fee, $20 per week or $5 a day to use the bikes. Stations will be located every two to three blocks, on public and private land.
B.C.'s mandatory helmet law presented a challenge to setting up the program, so helmet vending machines will be included with each bike share station. PBSC/Bixi, the company that manages Toronto and Montreal's bike shares, will be subcontracted to manage the helmet system.
Councillors George Affleck and Elizabeth Ball voted against the motion. Affleck cited concerns about the cost and lack of financial details in the staff report.
"(I) still support 'cost effective bike sharing,'" he tweeted. "This is not it."
