Bike-share programs make bicycles available for shared use to individuals on a short-term basis. While the programs differ, users of the programs most often pay a monthly or annual membership fee to grab a bike at any outdoor docking location in the system and then return the bike within a specified time limit, for no extra fee, to any outdoor docking location within that system. Docks with bicycles often are seen outside train stations or on public plazas in many cities in the United States and worldwide.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS Intermodal Passenger Connectivity Database (IPCD) provides locations and other information for 3,378 bike-share stations in 104 cities across the United States as of April 2016. In a recent report, BTS measured the proximity of these bike-share stations to scheduled public passenger transportation, such as transit bus stops, commuter train stations, and airports [FIRESTINE 2016]. Of the 3,378 bike-share stations, 77.0 percent (2,600) were within one block of a scheduled public transportation mode and another 13.4 percent were within two blocks. Transit bus is the most typical connection, with 74.9 percent (2,531) of bike- share stations located a block or less from a transit bus stop. These bike-share programs help people connect with public transportation, such as heavy rail stations and local bus stops, and in some cases reach places not well served by public transportation. (IPCD is discussed more fully at the end of this chapter.)