Bikestation
Reinventing Transit: report case study 
Bikestation has experienced enormous success in recent months (August through November) showing a 64% increase in usage over the same period in 2007. Source: Bikestation, Inc.
Spotlight on Long Beach
- Location: First Street Transit Mall, a hub connecting light rail, buses, local shuttles, pedestrians, and 30 miles of bike paths
- June 2008: Long Beach had 2,500 bikestation users, a 39% increase over 2007.
- The City of Long Beach provides $48,000 (about a third) of the Bikestation’s operating budget
Source: Long Beach Press-Telegram, 7/21/08
Official Bikestation website
A key obstacle that has prevented more widespread use of bicycles has been the lack of safe or convenient places to park a bike. But now, companies like Bikestation are changing the equation.
Bikestation offers a new kind of transportation hub that not only provides parking for cyclists but helps transit providers expand their reach to a wider market.
Because cyclists can travel farther and faster than pedestrians, Bikestations enable access to transit over an area 35 times larger than pedestrian access37 would allow.
They also require only a fraction of the cost to build and operate as park-andride lots do.
Bikestation has partnered with local communities, businesses and governments to provide parking and a full suite of services to cyclists. With 9 facilities built and more than 36 in the planning stages, Bikestation provides a scalable new form of infrastructure that can expand local commute options beyond driving.
Description of service
Bikestation aims to develop one-stop personal transportation centers. Though each is slightly different, a Bikestation might include some of the following features:
- Twenty-four-hour bicycle parking
- Bicycle repairs, rentals and retail sales
- Personal showers, lockers and changing rooms
- Snack bar/Café
- Car-share service
- LEV Sharing/Electric vehicle charging station
- Transit and bicycling information and/or ticket sales
How does it work?
Bikestation works by developing partnerships with local groups including:
- Municipalities
- Transit agencies
- Private developers
- Air quality management districts
- Parks and Recreation departments
- State DOTs
- Other private organizations, including local bike shops and nonprofits
Bikestation’s role in partnerships varies, but typically includes consulting on needs assessments and facility design, facility operation, developing a partnership with a local operator, providing membership access to 24/7 parking, providing affordable liability insurance, banking and merchant systems, and marketing and other collateral materials.
McDonald’s Cycle Center—Chicago, IL
The McDonald’s Cycle Center in Chicago is another excellent example of innovative bike parking. With over 300 secure indoor parking spaces for bicycles, showers, lockers, bike repair services and solar panels, the Cycle Center is state of the art.
The Cycle Center is an essential component of famed Millennium Park—a newly renovated public space renowned for its' unique public art displays and modern amphitheater facilities. The Cycle Center is not only close to public transit and cultural activities, but it has rental bikes and offers bike tours all throughout Chicago.
The Cycle Center was first built utilizing federal transportation funds and as of 2006, McDonald’s created a $5 million endowment for operations and fitness workshops over the next decade. During the Center’s first two years, the facility met its 500-member capacity.
View the report notes.
See more innovative projects included in the Reinventing Transit report. 
Posted: 22-Apr-2009; Updated: 05-Feb-2009
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