Capital Bikeshare uses a technology called BIXI that was developed by the Public Bike System Company. The BIXI system allows riders to quickly unlock a bike with a special key card.
The concept of bike sharing is not completely new, but the scale at which Capital Bikeshare is operating is impressive. It will manage more than 1,100 bikes across 114 rental stations. Unlike Zipcar, the bikes can be returned to any station — not just the location from which it was rented.
The pricing structure is fairly competitive for short rides. Membership in the program costs $25 for 30 days, $75 for an entire year ($50 during the special introductory period) or, if you're not completely sold on the concept, $5 for one day. The first 30 minutes of any ride is free, but 60 minutes will cost you $1.50, and 90 minutes will be an additional $3.00 (for a total of $4.50).
The price then spikes to $6 for each additional 30-minute block, making it not particularly viable for extended rides. A bike can be kept for a maximum of 24 hours (for $70.50), before it is considered stolen and your credit card is charged $1,000. (Don't worry, the company will refund you once you return the bike.) If that sounds scary, there is an up side: You can simply drop the bike off at a rental station and get a new one when you're ready to ride again. Breaking your ride into chunks will keep bikes in circulation and your fees down.