HONOLULU — Another bicycle sharing program is giving it a go in Honolulu.
Sharee allows riders to lock and unlock bikes via a smartphone app. They can be parked and locked at any public bike rack instead of docked at stations.
Bikeshare Hawaii’s Biki has about 1,000 bicycles at 100 stations. It launched in 2017, and recently announced it would expand.
While Sharee has 400 registered, licensed bikes ready to go, most are sitting in storage. There are about two dozen bikes in circulation. Most are on Ward Avenue, a few are in Chinatown, two are in Haleiwa, one is in Kakaako and one is at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
To access the bikes, riders use an app, enter a phone number, pay with a credit card and then are given a code that unlocks the bike. Sharee is asking riders to park only in the locations indicted on the app or at public bike racks.
City Transportation Services Deputy Director Jon Nouchi said the city supports alternative forms of transportation.
“However, all companies should be aware that city property, including bicycle racks, cannot be used for commercial transactions until and unless they first obtain authorization from the city,” he said.
The bikes can be parked at public city bike racks, but renting one from the public rack would be considered a commercial transaction, according to the city.
A patrol team tracks, monitors and collects the bikes nightly, said Sharee CEO Alexander Wong.
The cost of a 30-minute ride is $3.50, the same amount Biki charges.