WARRIOR

with a soft opening on Friday, with a full rollout expected sometime in October.

Like a car rental, bicyclists will need a credit card to pay for rentals available at kiosks that will be open 24 hours a day, Swallow said. The cost to ride is $4 for 30 minutes or $8 for 24 hours. Those who don’t return the bicycles will be charged a hefty fee.

For a $20 monthly membership, users can get unlimited access to bicycles for 30-minute trips. Swallow suggested a tip for prospective monthly members: Keep returning those bicycles to a different station every half-hour, and restart the clock with a new bike to keep the free rides rolling.

Bicycle sharing programs have gained momentum over the past eight years, spreading to nearly 100 cities across the country, said Tim Blumenthal, president of the advocacy group People for Bikes.

“Bike sharing encourages people to get out of their cars for short trips, and that can help reduce traffic in the heart of a city,” Blumenthal said. “It gets people active and keeps them from sitting all day in traffic, while also giving them an economic way to get around town.”

BCycle won a contract earlier this year to oversee the RTC’s program, which has been under development since 2013. The company operates similar bicycle-sharing programs in more than 40 cities nationwide, including Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

Kiosk locations and the number of available bicycles will be listed on smartphone apps offered by BCycle and the RTC.

The new set of bicycles, equipment and payment software were funded 95 percent by a $1 million federal grant, with the rest paid by the RTC. The program is expected to cost $63,000 per month to maintain, funded by rider membership fees and business sponsorships, Swallow said.

But Blumenthal warned that bicycle sharing programs don’t tend to be profitable.

“It’s hard to make the systems break even due to the significant up-front costs, so don’t expect the Las Vegas program to miraculously make money,” Blumenthal said. “But if they do it right by providing enough stations and promoting the program, then they will create a better city.”

The bicycle sharing program will surely make use of a new network of green bicycle lanes that have cropped up on downtown streets in the last few years, allowing cyclists to share the road with vehicles.

Given the program’s popularity in other cities and an influx of downtown residents moving in, Swallow doesn’t think bicyclesharing will hit the skids anytime soon.

“We’re excited to offer another option for people to get around town,” Swallow said. “Our goal is to see people use it.”