July 6, 2004
Phones power bike rental scheme
Oybike is a new mobile phone-operated bicycle rental scheme designed to make getting around easier and faster, reports the BBC
"It is being trialled in Hammersmith and Fulham, west London, where a number of rental stations have been set up, but its inventors hope it will soon be extended.
Anyone wanting to use an Oybike signs up and pays a £10 annual fee, then uses their mobile phone to unlock a bike for as long as they need.
The phone receives a pin number to unlock the bike at the start of a journey and a second one to lock it at the end and to determine how much the rider is charged.
Other bike rental schemes exist, but Mr Hammond believes none are as hi-tech as Oybike.
Smart Bike in France uses smart cards, while others are coin-operated".
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