On-Demand Bike Lockers Come to Seattle Metro System (July 11, 2013)
July 11, 2013
Seattle-area Metro riders who bike to transit stations have a new option for storing their cycles, thanks to a series of new “eLockers” that can be rented on an hourly basis using a stored value card. The lockers—located at 10 Metro stations throughout the Seattle area—are provided by BikeLink, a secure on-demand parking system for small vehicles like bikes and scooters.
To rent a locker, a BikeLink user inserts a stored value card into a card reader on the locker door and selects an amount of storage time. When the card is removed from the slot, the locker opens and the bike can be placed inside. When the rental ends, the user swipes the card to open the locker and retrieve his bike. The rental rate for eLockers is 5 cents per hour; if a bike is stored longer than its allotted time, the rate jumps to 12 cents an hour. Users are only charged for the time they use the locker. BikeLink cards come pre-loaded in the amount of $20 and can be obtained online, over the phone or at vendor locations. The cards can be reloaded online or via phone.
While Seattle’s Metro system already has traditional bike lockers, the on-demand eLockers are able to serve five to seven times more users than assigned bike lockers, according to the company behind the system, Berkeley, Calif.-based eLock Technologies LLC. BikeLink eLocker systems also have been installed in San Diego, Portland, Ore., and the San Francisco Bay Area.
