Bike stations currently exist in Long Beach, Palo Alto, Berkeley, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Toronto, Canada as well as numerous European and Japanese cities. The experience of five of these cities (Long Beach, Palo Alto, Berkeley, Denver, and Seattle) with bike stations is discussed below.

Long Beach. The first facility of its kind in the U.S., the Long Beach Bike Station is a freestanding facility strategically located on the First Street Transit Mall, a nexus for light rail, buses, pedestrians, and a local shuttle that services neighborhoods and key attractions. Nearby, more than 30 miles of dedicated shoreline and river bicycle paths, as well as Class II paths, connect to other parts of the city. The Long Beach Bike Station offers valet parking in a secure area, bike repairs and rentals, a changing room/restroom, and bike accessories shop. The membership dues are a $20 administration fee and either a $96 annual service plan, or a daily plan for $1 per day (sold in $10 increments.) Members receive access to vehicle-sharing services including electric bike and scooter rentals at reasonable rates. Flexcar, a car-sharing service, is also located at the facility. In addition to a refreshment bar with outdoor seating, the facility provides an array of bicycle, transit and tourism information. The facility is owned by the City of Long Beach Redevelopment Agency and operated by a not-for-profit organization.

Palo Alto. The Palo Alto Bike Station is a full-service transit center designed to encourage the use of bicycles and public transportation. Located at the historic Palo Alto Caltrain Depot, the Palo Alto Bike Station  is a 1,500 sq. ft. luggage room of the Palo Alto Caltrain depot that was converted into a 200-space bicycle parking facility. The facility is operated by Palo Alto Bicycles, local bicycle shop in cooperation with the City of Palo Alto and Caltrain. The project is funded by the City of Palo Alto and a grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The Palo Alto Caltrain station is on the line that runs from San Francisco to Gilroy and is a central hub for the Caltrain commuter trains, SamTrans bus lines, Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus lines, Dumbarton Express, as well as Stanford University's Marguerite shuttle. Caltrain has the highest number of bicycle boardings in the nation. In fact, the high demand for bicycle storage on the train has resulted in many riders being 'bumped' from the train due to lack of space. The Palo Alto Bike Station helps to address this problem by allowing commuters to park their bicycles at the facility and retrieve them upon departure from Caltrain to continue their commute to their final destinations. Approximately 80% of the users of the Palo Alto Bike Station park their bicycle overnight at the facility (i.e., the bike serves principally as a shuttle from the train station to and from work).

The Palo Alto Caltrain depot is on the National Historic Register and is a cornerstone building in downtown Palo Alto. The Bike Station facility is located on the north side of the depot on the platform adjacent to the bus loading/unloading area. A bike accessories shop offers tubes, reflective gear, locks, fenders, and lights. The facility also has a changing area, coffee bar with patio seating, as well as information on bikes on transit rules and bike licenses. Local area bike maps, bicycle advocacy group information, and an assortment of transit information useful to cyclists are also available at the Palo Alto Bike Station. The facility provides education programs, bicycle safety and maintenance workshops, and a corporate bike commute program (where companies can reserve bicycles for their employees to travel to and from the depot).

There is no charge for bicycle storage. The facility is open weekdays from 6 am to 8 pm, and on weekends from 9 am to 6 pm. In addition to the storage facility there is a mechanic on duty to perform repairs and adjustments. Bicycle rentals are available and include high quality Trek hybrid models and mountain and road models. Bicycle rental rates at the Palo Alto Bike Station are as follows:

Berkeley. The Berkeley Bike Station is located on the south end of the concourse level of the Downtown Berkeley BART station. A 500 sq. ft. steel cage, the facility has an extremely high density of bicycle parking that can accommodate 77 bicycles; however, over 100 bicycles have been stored at the facility at one time, with innovative hooks from the ceiling and double rows of bicycles. The Berkeley Bike Station is operated by the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition and is currently funded by BART. The operating cost of the first 18 months from November 1999 to March 2001 was $133,405. The hours of operation have been scaled down from its initial offering to the current hours: 7:30 am to 8 pm on weekdays and closed on weekends & holidays. People wanting to park earlier than 7:30 am can do so by locking their bikes outside the cage and providing the bike station attendants with a key to their locks. The attendants retrieve the bicycles outside the cage after the morning rush.

There is no membership fee required and the service is free, except for a $3 fee if the bicycle is not retrieved by 10am the next day. The facility offers bicycle accessories, bicycle maps for the East Bay Area, bicycle repairs, free rental of bicycle trailers, and community outreach. It also provides an opportunity for the Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition, the station operator, to spend the slower midday hours doing administrative work for its non-profit organization and their campaigns. After the bicycle station closes, a large cable connects all the bicycles that have not been picked up, for an additional layer of protection.

The Berkeley Bike Station at the Downtown Berkeley BART station can accommodate approximately 80 bicycles in a secure and convenient facility. (Source: Berkeley Bike Station)

Denver. While many Denver residents own bikes, concerns about secure parking and the possibility of theft are deterrents to using them to commute downtown. (Over a million dollars worth of bicycles are reported stolen to the Denver Police Department every year.) In response to bicyclist's needs, Regional Transportation District (RTD) moved forward with the design and construction of a Bike Station facility in downtown Denver. This facility provides bicyclists a secure, monitored place to park their bikes as they access the transit system. The Denver Bike Station is located at 16th St. and Wynkoop St. (on the Denver Union Station site) allowing bicyclists a direct connection with the 16th St. Mall shuttle to reach their final destination. This site is very close to the Cherry Creek Trail, with bike lanes already in place on Wynkoop Street. The 1,800 sq. ft. single story building can accommodate parking for 150 bikes, with 450 sq. ft. shower & locker room facility. Additionally, there are approximately 700 sq. ft. of retail space, with a patio seating area adjacent to the 16th St. Mall. The full service facility also provides showers and clothing lockers, bike repairs and rentals, and related services. A workshop was held in April, 2002 to provide potential operators for this facility the opportunity to ask questions and get acquainted with the details of the operation. A videotape of this workshop is available from the Denver RTD (contact Kent Epperson at 303-299-2223).

Seattle. The Seattle Bike Station is a ground breaking transit facility offering the public a variety of travel choices to encourage clean trips such as biking, walking, and using public transportation. The Seattle Bike Station is convenient to public transportation, and services include bike-sharing, car-sharing, bicycle rentals, sales and repairs. Secure, indoor bicycle parking is available to members 24 hours a day with a membership fob (an electronic passcard that allows for keyless entry). There is free, attended bicycle parking during operating hours.

An attendant is on duty to answer questions and assist with bicycle parking during the business day. If you park your bicycle outside the normal business day hours, a membership is offered that includes 24-hour access to the facility's bicycle-parking. A bike-sharing program and a 'Home Free Guarantee' are also offered for members. The administrative fee is $20 per year. Two service plans are offered: a daily fee of $1 (purchased in $10 increments) or an annual membership fee for $96. Conventional and electric bicycles are for rent for $3 per hour or $15 per day. Scooters can be rented for $5 per hour or $25 per day.

Membership usage fees can be charged automatically to the member's credit card or deducted from a debit account. Members are also able to check the status of their accounts and billing history over the Internet and receive e-mail alerts on program information. The Seattle Bike Station also offers a 10% discount on parts and accessories and a $10 discount off the car-sharing Flexcar program. Other Seattle Bike Station services and amenities include internet access for member sign-up and transit/commute information, retail and bicycle repairs.

The Seattle Bike Station conveniently links to Metro Transit bus service at the International District tunnel station and on 2nd and 4th Avenues, Sound Transit's Sounder commuter rail and Amtrak train service at King Street Station, Metro's Benson Line Waterfront Streetcar, and the Washington State Ferry Terminal at Colman Dock. Safeco Field and the Seahawks Stadium and Exhibition Center are also within close proximity.

The Seattle Bike Station and its clean mobility center amenities are the result of a 3-year public-private partnership formed with a grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and additional funds provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The project team includes The BikeStation Coalition, WestStart (an advanced transportation technology organization), King County Metro Transit (the regional transportation agency), Flexcar (a car-sharing service provider), the City of Seattle, and Puget Sound Transit.