Charlotte B-cycle FAQs

Bike sharing is the new way of getting around Center City. It’s affordable, clean, and simple. It’s good for your health, your pocket, and our environment.

We have a network of B-stations located within a few blocks of one another throughout Center City. As a Charlotte B-cycle member or 24-hour pass holder, you can unlock any of the specially designed bikes at any station and ride it to any other bike station. It’s fast, simple, and inexpensive. It’s no wonder bike sharing has exploded in popularity the past few years.

Charlotte B-cycle is the first bike share system in North Carolina and the largest urban system in the southeast.. It is a zero-hassle, zero-emissions way to get around Center City. The network is composed of 200 purpose-built, commuter-style bicycles and 20 high-tech stations which include features to manage access to the bicycle fleet and monitor daily operations.

It’s a bike-sharing program that meets the transportation, health, and environmental needs of our communities. It’s inexpensive and spontaneous, but also practical.

Charlotte B-cycle uses technology that measures the actual distance traveled on each ride and keeps track of the calories you’ve burned and the carbon emissions you’ve prevented. All this information is available on your personal B-cycle web page.

Imagine a bike that is always ready to ride, where and when you want to ride it. The tires are always inflated and the chain is never rusty. A bike with a basket to carry your knapsack. A bike with front and rear lights and a bell that fits people tall and short. A bike that’s there whenever you need it, and gone when you don’t. That’s a B-cycle. And it’s powered by the ultimate alternative fuel: you.

Proprietary GPS (global positioning system) and RFID (radio frequency identification) technologies make it possible to track all rides in the system and associated with members. Data such as distance, duration, calories burned, and carbon offset are captured and uploaded to personal web pages at Bcycle.com.

B-cycles are equipped with an internal GPS device that tracks the bike’s trips. Other technology associates each trip with the member who checked out the bike. After this information is transferred to B-cycle’s computers, algorithms translate the trip information into estimates of the number of calories burned and carbon emissions avoided (as compared to the use of an average automobile for the same trip). If there are technical errors with the data collection or transfer, an estimate will be applied and clearly noted as such.

Different B-cycle systems (cities, campuses, etc.) charge different amounts, and each system’s website provides all the details.

Bike share memberships are available to anyone over the age of 18 with a valid credit card.

The cost to use a B-cycle is divided into two components: a membership fee and a usage fee. Memberships can be purchased on an annual basis for $65; visitors can purchase a 24-hour pass for $8.

Members incur no fees for the first thirty minutes of each ride after removing the bike from a docking station. Successive 30-minute increments will accrue usage fees of $4 per additional half-hour. The pricing structure is designed to encourage turnover and keep the bikes in the system as much as possible.

Users must have a valid credit card on file as they are financially responsible for the bikes while in their possession.

The Charlotte Department of Transportation Bicycle Program is working to make bicycling in Charlotte safer and more efficient.

The City has adopted long range bicycle plans identifying steps to help Charlotte become a city where cyclists can feel comfortable riding to work, running errands or simply enjoying a neighborhood ride with the family.

Charlotte is building the infrastructure to make cycling better. In the coming years, the City will increase its inventory of bike lanes, signed routes, paved shoulders and bicycle racks.

In recognition of its efforts to improve its bicycle environment, the City of Charlotte was recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a 2008-2012 Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) at the bronze level.

B-cycle requires that all accounts be associated with a credit card. 

A B-card is a plastic card typcially distributed to B-cycle annual members. The cards contain an RFID chip uniquely associated with each member’s account. When the B-card is presented at a B-cycle dock, the B-cycle system is queried to confirm that the member is in good standing and to associate the member with the bicycle they are checking out. 

When a bicycle is returned, the B-cycle system updates the member’s account.

B-cards also contain a magnetic strip so the cards can be read by the credit card reader found on the kiosk, thereby allowing the B-card holder to obtain time credits when a station is full.

B-cards are issued to all annual members. B-cards are generally sent in the mail following online registration. Once you register as an annual member, the credit card you used to sign up for your account can be used at the kiosk to check out bikes.

For 24-hour pass holders, the membership fee will be charged at the time of registration. If any usage fees have accrued during the membership period, a second charge will be processed following the end of the membership period.

For annual members, there will be an initial charge for the membership fee at the time of registration, and thereafter there will be a monthly charge for usage fees, if any, accrued during each month of the membership.

Membership periods begin the first time a bike is checked out following initial registration. Daily memberships end 24 hours later. Weekly memberships end 168 hours later (7 days times 24 hours). Monthly memberships end 720 hours later (30 days times 24 hours). Annual memberships end 8,760 hours later (365 days times 24 hours). 

Charlotte B-cycle operators can sell prepaid gift cards in varying amounts. The gift card contains a promotional code the gift receiver enters on a registration page to partially or fully offset the cost of a membership. The person receiving the gift card must also register a credit card to cover usage fees and other possible fees. 

If you have a membership that is shorter than annual, you can upgrade it to an annual membership by paying the additional amount necessary. To be eligible for this upgrade option, you must upgrade before your other membership expires. For example, if you bought a monthly membership for $20 on July 1 that expires on July 30, you can log in to your personal web page anytime in July and upgrade to an annual membership that will expire on June 30 of the following year. If the cost of an annual membership is $50, you will have to pay only $30 ($50 minus $20) for the upgrade.

Annual members also have the option of automatically renewing their annual memberships by selecting Auto-Renewal in the Account Preferences section of their personal web page.

Personal web pages remain “live” for three years after the lapse of membership. 

Contact Customer Service immediately  at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585 so that we can suspend the card and prevent anyone else from using your card to gain access to a bicycle for which you are financially responsible.

A replacement card will be provided for a nominal fee of $5.

While waiting for your replacement B-card to arrive, you can check out bikes by using the kiosk at each station. You must present the credit card associated with your membership account. 

Contact Customer Service at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585.

Membership fees are non-refundable, but if you wish to suspend your account to prevent any new usage fees, contact Customer Service at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585.

Upon presenting your B-card at a station kiosk or dock for authentication, the system checks whether your account is in good standing. If there is a problem, your card will be denied. Please call Customer Service at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585 to determine the cause of the problem.

When registering, members can choose whether they want to receive text notifications. Members can change that preference anytime thereafter by logging into their personal B-cycle web page and managing their account settings.

Members can change their credit card information by logging into their personal B-cycle web page and managing their account settings.

Return a damaged bike to a B-station, if possible, or if that is not possible, securely lock it and contact Customer Service at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585. Do not ride a bike with damage that affects its safety features.

Users are financially liable for damages to bikes under their care. Refer to Terms and Conditions for your system.

Contact Customer Service at info@charlottebcycle.com or 704-332-9585. Charlotte B-cycle will charge a $10 fee for a lost key. Refer to the website of specific systems.

Contact Customer Service at 704-332-9585. Under the Terms and Conditions agreed to upon registering for membership, members may be liable up to a specified limit if a bicycle is stolen or lost while under their care. Refer to the Terms and Conditions posted at www.charlottebcycle.com.

Your membership period begins the first time you check out a bike. You may check out a bike immediately after registering as an annual member or purchasing a 24-hour pass by using the credit card used to purchase the membership.

Information about each member’s use of B-cycles is posted to that member’s personal B-cycle web page. Members must log in to view the information, which includes such information as the date and duration of each trip, the station from which the bike was checked out and the station to which the bike was returned, the distance pedaled, the usage fee (if any), the associated calories burned, and carbon offset.

B-cycles are equipped with an internal GPS device that tracks the bike’s trips. Other technology associates each trip with the member who checked out the bike. After this information is transferred to B-cycle’s computers, algorithms translate the trip information into estimates of the number of calories burned and carbon emissions avoided (as compared to the use of an average automobile for the same trip). If there are technical errors with the data collection or transfer, an estimate will be applied and clearly noted as such.

When signing up online, only one membership can be associated with a credit card. When buying a one-day membership at a kiosk, more than one membership can be associated with a credit card, but the same card must be presented each time a bike is checked out during the membership period.

Adults over the age of 18 may legally ride a bike without a helmet, but Charlotte  B-cycle strongly recommends wearing a helmet whenever riding a bicycle.

No. There are hygiene and safety issues with shared helmet use. It is the responsibility of the rider to supply his or her own helmet. In addition, helmets are available at the Charlotte B-cycle hub or at local bike shop for a great price! 

B-cycle reserves the right to impose a rule that requires a short waiting period between returning a bike and checking out another.

A B-cycle dock beeps when a bike has been unlocked or when the bike has been returned.

When the bike is unlocked, the dock beeps continuously until the bike is removed (or 30 seconds, whichever comes first). The green light will also flash from the time the bike is unlocked until it is removed from the dock.

When a bike is returned and properly inserted into the dock, the dock will beep three times very quickly, and the green light will likewise blink three times very rapidly.

If the red “X” is lit on the dock, there is a problem with either the bike or the dock itself. Try a different dock!

If the orange “bad card” sign is lit, we need to talk to you about a problem with your membership. Just call the Customer Service at 704-332-9585.

Users must be at least 18 years old to use Charlotte B-cycle. Minors are not permitted to ride B-cycles even with adult supervision.

While bikes may be returned to a dock at any time, Charlotte B-cycles are available for checkout every day, year-round from 7am – 10pm. Customer Service is available everyday from 7am – 7pm.

Bikes can be returned any time, regardless of whether the system is open or closed. Two beeps and two green blinks indicate a successful return. 

Please return a bike with a flat tire to the nearest B-station. If that is impossible, you must properly secure the bike with the built-in lock and contact Customer Service at 704-332-9585.

If there has been an injury, please dial 911 first. If you are qualified to administer first aid and there is a need, please help out to the limit of your abilities. If appropriate, contact the police, as well. As in any accident, exchange information with any other affected party and collect contact information from witnesses. Contact Customer Service at 704-332-9585 at the earliest appropriate time.

Charlotte B-cycle makes every effort to maintain a balanced system where there are bikes and open docks at all stations. However, if you have a bike you wish to return, but there are no available docks at a station, you must locate a station with available docks and return the bike there. The kiosk located at each station will provide real-time information about which nearby stations have available docks.

The kiosks at full stations will also add 15 free minutes to your ride so that you can take the bike to an open station without financial penalty. In order to receive the extra 15 minutes, insert you B-card if you are an annual member or the credit card used if you purchased a 24-hour pass.

The Charlotte B-cycle website and associated mobile applications for each system provides a map of all B-stations in that system with real-time information about the availability of bikes.  Visit www.charlottebcycle.com to download our app!

B-cycle does not allow members to reserve a bike.

Charlotte B-cycle is a bike-sharing system designed to promote the constant use and turnover of bikes for short journeys. The pricing system provides incentives for members to keep their trips short. The longer the trip, the higher the usage fee. Charlotte B-cycle will seek to recover bikes that have not been returned after 24 hours, and bikes not returned within a three-day limit will be considered lost and members will be liable for a replacement fee (see the applicable Terms and Conditions).

The Charlotte B-cycle website www.charlottebcycle.com and associated mobile applications for each system provide a map of all B-stations in that system. 

To make the kiosk sign-up process as simple and quick as possible, only 24-hour passes are available for sale at the kiosk. Annual memberships are available at www.charlottebcycle.com.