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What’s fun, fast, affordable and great for the environment? Bikeshare of course! DecoBike LLC, a long-time member of the MBCC, originally launched in Miami Beach in March of 2011 under the name “DecoBike Miami Beach” with 50 rental station locations and 500 bikes and was an instant hit with residents and visitors alike. Interestingly, MBCC President Jerry Libbin was the very first person to signup for the innovative program. DecoBike was the first of its kind in the US– a privately-funded, city-wide bikeshare program launched without using any tax payer funds in sharp contrast to the vast majority of bikeshare programs in other cities which are subsidized with millions in public funds like in Washington DC, Chicago and LA for example.
DecoBike had quickly dialed in a recipe for success and expanded to 100 stations locations in Miami Beach with a fleet of 1,000 bikes, which yielded one of the most comprehensive bikeshare systems in the US with bragging rights like the most bikeshare stations per square mile across a US city and the highest bike-to-resident ratio of any US bikeshare fleet. The system was very convenient to use and thousands of people took to the streets on DecoBikes on a daily basis. The program, in conjunction with the City of Miami Beach, was also the recipient of the US Conference of Mayors City Livability award based on its success and effectiveness at getting people out of cars and onto bikes.
In 2014, DecoBike won a 10-year contract to launch and operate the bikeshare system for the City of Miami’s as well while simultaneously landing a major title sponsorship with Citibank. With Citi’s support for bikeshare, the entire DecoBike system in Miami Beach was rebranded as Citi Bike Miami and replaced with a new state-of-the-art bikeshare system in 2015 that now also reaches throughout the City of Miami, Surfside and Bay Harbor Islands. Currently the footprint of the program is 160+ station locations and a fleet of approximately 2,000 Citi Bikes. A busy day with nice weather can see as many as 10,000 Citi Bike rides and collectively has logged more than 10 million rides since inception.
Citi Bike offers two main ways for people to take advantage of the program. Citi Bike is most popular with residents as well as locals working in Miami Beach who can sign up at citibikemiami.com to enjoy monthly memberships with unlimited rides for around $15 (just 50 cents a day). While residents make up the majority of the rides logged, Citi Bike also is very popular with visitors who typically rent Citi Bikes by the hour, ranging from a 30-minute rental to a 24-hour rental. You can rent a bike from any station location and return to another of your choosing when done. Their mobile app shows you available bikes and station locations in real-time.
The team at Deco Bike (owner and operator of Citi Bike Miami) has been a great community partner for the past decade. They have sponsored and participated in numerous charitable and community events year in and year out since they opened for business and have been great stewards of our city. Colby Reese and Bonifacio Diaz, Co-Founders of DecoBike, have devoted the past decade to providing a “green” and healthy transportation option for our residents and visitors. “To date, the program has offset harmful automobile emissions by more than 25 million pounds of CO2 and our riders have burned over 1 billion calories using pedal-power,” said Mr. Reese.
While being one of few financially self-sufficient bikeshare programs in North America, DecoBike’s Citi Bike Miami program came to a screeching pause in service due to COVID. While most major cities kept their bikeshare programs rolling, Miami-Dade County forced bikeshare operations to temporarily close. In many world-class cities like New York, San Francisco and Chicago, bikeshare was being promoted by mayors as the safest and best way to commute during the pandemic since riders can easily practice social distancing while riding in a healthy outdoor environment.
After nearly six months of being closed by order of the County, Citi Bike got a reopening plan approved by the County. New enhanced cleaning protocols were put in place for their bikes and stations, plus hand sanitizer dispensers were added on their kiosks for an added layer of safety and convenience. “Millions of rides have been safely logged on bikeshare during the pandemic without incident. It’s much safer to be on our bikes than on a bus or in a ride-hailing car with a closed cabin where you can’t practice social distancing,” said Mr. Diaz. “Bicycles are essential, and we are pleased to have our bikes available again” he added. Service recommenced the last week of September and is open 24/7 year-round.
Like John F Kennedy said, “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.” Most residents and visitors have a Citi Bike station nearby if you don’t already have on your doorstep. For those of you looking for fun way to commute around the city, we encourage you to give Citi Bike a spin.
