Bike sharing system allows you to track and unlock bikes with your mobile
Three North American states already adopt the system developed by SoBi
Large cities such as São Paulo, New York and London have as one of their main goals to solve the problem of urban mobility. In addition to investments to improve public transport networks, there are new initiatives, such as transport sharing systems that are traditionally used individually or non-sharing, such as cars (see more here) and bicycles.
In three American states (Idaho, California and New York), the company SoBi (Social Bicycles) has partnered with telecommunications company AT&T to provide an exclusive bike-sharing service for cell phones and tablets. This is a pioneering idea, as many companies already partially use this system, but, according to SoBi founder Ryan Rzepecki, none of them rely solely on cell phones to track, locate and unlock bicycles.
Sobi is a manufacturer of so-called "smart bikes", smart bikes made for sharing and that have GPS to locate the bike along its path, as well as a network-integrated locking system, which only allows the use of bicycles through codes disclosed to each user via smartphone or tablet. This bike sharing allows the user to locate, reserve and unlock bikes through an application that can be downloaded to their electronic equipment.
Operation
After downloading the app, the user pays a fee of $10 a month and is able to use the service. He opens the program, finds the nearest bike, makes a reservation and receives a code on his own smartphone. He has 15 minutes to get to the scene and enter the code that will release the bike lock.
When the user no longer wants to use the vehicle, just find (with your application) a bike rack that is closest and, if a place is available, secure the bike in place.
The advantages of the new system are several: computerized integration and automatic location via GPS make life easier for users; saving money, as it is cheaper and more practical to have the bike only in convenient situations; the ease of access with a cell phone, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are avoided when using a bicycle, the inclusion of a healthy practice in everyday life and so on.
To learn more about SoBi, visit the official website and check out the video below:
Image: SoBi
