Call a Bike
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Call a Bike is a bike hire system run by Deutsche Bahn in several German cities, which uses a system of authentication codes to automatically lock and unlock bikes.
[edit] Usage
To find the bikes one has to search at the cross roads in the central areas of the towns or use location-based services[1] on modern cell phones to find them. A simple call to the customer service center to locate the callbikes is not on offer anymore.
| To hire | Customer calls the telephone number given on the bike which includes the bike's ID and gets by voice the 4 digit opening code, which he then types onto the bike's touch screen to unlock it. |
| To return | Lock the bike to a fixed object, and select "return bike" from the bike's touchscreen. A code will be generated which then has to be telephoned to the control centre, as proof that the bike was locked. As well one has to give the exact street names of the cross roads, which has to be within the permitted town area. |
| Lock temporarily | Similar to returning the bike, except that it doesn't generate a "return code" |
The cost is 8 Euro cent per minute; holders of a BahnCard get a reduced rate of 6 cent per minute; there are also reduced rates for 24 hours or a week of use. In Stuttgart the first half hour of use is free.
[edit] Technology
Comprised of an electronic wheel lock and a cable lock, all controlled by embedded microcontroller with touchscreen LCD display. A set of 1024 pregenerated lock/unlock codes are unique to each bike and stored in memory.[2]
[edit] Coverage
Used in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart, Munich, Karlsruhe. Arlington, Virginia is preparing the first Call a Bike system in the United States, which should begin operation in late 2008 or early 2009.
