DALLAS, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hailing a cab, catching a bus, or grabbing the subway won't be the only options for catching quick and convenient transportation in cities across the country. Beginning this fall, Social Bicycles will begin using AT&T wireless networks to connect its affordable and intelligent bike sharing networks.
AT&T* and Social Bicycles (SoBi) today announced that AT&T will be the exclusive mobile internet provider in the United States for their launch this fall in select markets in California, Idaho and New York. Social Bicycles builds "smart bikes" that have an integrated locking system with GPS tracking and connectivity to the AT&T wireless network. Users will be able to locate, reserve and unlock bikes through a mobile phone application on your smartphone or tablet; allowing for easy pick up and drop off anywhere. Returns are as simple as finding any bicycle rack near your destination and checking it back in using the application.
"SoBi and AT&T are making it easier than ever to get around town on a bicycle without the hassle of trying to locate a cycling station the old fashioned way," said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, AT&T Emerging Devices. "With a smartphone or tablet, tourists and locals alike can quickly access the SoBi database to locate and reserve a bike that is connected to the AT&T wireless network."
"Social Bikes is the first public bike share system that relies completely on a mobile network to track, locate and unlock bikes," said Ryan Rzepecki, CEO, Social Bikes. "The SoBi system is the only technology that provides a solution for the entire spectrum of bike share. It's affordable enough for small-scale deployments and robust enough to serve larger municipal deployments. We're excited about the benefits AT&T network will add to the system."
For a fraction of the cost of station-based systems, SoBi provides advanced features like web and mobile reservations and real-time GPS tracking of the fleet. Once a customer locates a bicycle, the system sends the user's pincode to the bike to confirm and unlock the bike. Users can return the bike by locking it to any bicycle rack in the area.
Bike share is a form of active transportation which has benefits for both public health and sustainability. SoBi's software tracks C02 calories burned, emissions reduced, as well as dollars saved versus driving.
Social Bicycles is launching in three markets this fall – Buffalo, NY, Sun Valley, ID, and San Francisco, CA. Additional markets are expected to go live in early 2013.
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*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
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AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.
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