FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Bike share is an innovative and fun 24/7 transportation system. It is designed for short point-to-point trips. Users are provided with the ability to download a mobile app, sign up for the system and pick up a bike from any of the convenient bike hubs and return it to any other hub within the system area.
YES! Whether you are a resident who commutes all too often, a frequent visitor, or just in town for the day, greenride bikeshare is perfect for you. With our 17 convenient hub locations in Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski, you can get from Point A to Point B easily and indulge in some of our fine views, restaurants, breweries and coffee shops. We offer several membership plan options [insert link], so you can select which fits your needs.
greenride bikeshare system is available to everyone who is 18 years of age and older.
greenride bikeshare features 7-speed bikes (typical bikeshares have only 3) to help get you up hill or down dale. We are rolling out electric assist bicycles as part of the fleet later this year which make riding any hill a breeze. There are also plenty of ways to get around Burlington that you can take to avoid the steepest streets. Essentially the further north you get, the hills get less steep.
We plan on rolling out the e-bike portion of the fleet later this year, once we have fine tuned the bikes and how they will operate within the system.
Please see our Map page on the website or within the mobile app for designated hub areas.
YES! The bikes have a “Hold” feature. If a user wants to pop in a coffee shop and hop back on the same bike, simply press the “Hold” button on the keypad on the back of the bike and you will be prompted to lock the bike. The bike does need to be locked “to” something. Find a nearby regular bike rack or sign post that will not block access in any way. Holding will avoid the $5 out-of-hub fee as well as hold the bike for the user for up to 30 minutes (note this counts as “ride” time). During this time the bike will not be available for other users to rent as long as the user returns to the bike on hold within the 30-minute time frame. During the hold, the total ride time clock keeps ticking, so make sure the stop is a quick one!
Our designated system area is visible on our map on this website, as well as in the mobile app. If a user decides to ride a bike out of the system, lock the bike and end their ride there, that user will be charged a $50 “Out of System” fee. Feel free to ride the bikes anywhere outside the system boundary but make sure to return them to a hub when finished to avoid this fee.
Please see our Pricing page.
Yes, you can reserve a bike from the mobile app or https://app.socialbicycles.com up to 15 minutes, so it will be waiting for you when you arrive – you’ll never have to worry about showing up at an empty hub when you need to get somewhere. Select a bike on the map, click the blue button ‘Reserve this bike’ or ‘Reserve a bike at this hub’ Click green “Confirm” button.
To cancel the reservation, tap on the red ‘Cancel’ button at the bottom of the screen. If you cancel before 1-minute, no fees will apply. Beyond 1-minute, paid time begins to accrue (counts towards your total ride time).
After 15 minutes, the timer expires and the bike becomes available for other users to rent.
To cancel the reservation, tap on the red ‘Cancel’ button at the bottom of the screen. If you cancel before 1-minute, no fees will apply. Beyond 1-minute, paid time begins to accrue (counts towards your total ride time).
After 15 minutes, the timer expires and the bike becomes available for other users to rent.
Users can purchase any level of membership online, at an approved cash location or via the SoBi mobile app on a smartphone. Once registered, a rider can access the map of hubs which will indicate how many bikes are available at each. When users sign up, they will be given a 6-digit account number and 4-digit pin code. Users can simply walk up to a bike enter the code and PIN, unlock and begin riding. Return and lock the bike at a designated greenride bikeshare hub. The bike is now available for others to use. Bike can also be reserved, booking time is 15 minutes. Bikes may also be locked in a non-hub location to any regular bike rack or secure object for a $5 fee. Please note riders should always end their trip within the system area and the bike must always be securely locked to a fixed object when locking a bike or putting it on hold.
Bike share is intended for up to 30 minute, short point-to-point transportation. The difference in bike share versus bike renting is that it is completely self-sufficient and the user does not have to return the bike to the same location that it was picked up from. Renting bikes is a better option for longer trips or recreational rides.
Our local bike shop and rental location partners are experts in renting bikes and can provide right-size bikes, multiple bikes for families, route maps, helmets, great service and the personal touch. Most bike rental locations have 4 hour to 24 hour rentals. See our pricing page for a list and links to all of our local bike and rental shops.
According to Vermont state law, bicyclists are not required to wear helmets. However, we strongly encourage and recommend all users wear helmets. Members are eligible for discounts on helmet purchase at the following local bike shops:
Users will receive a $5 fee when they lock the bike and end their ride in any place that is not a designated greenride bikeshare hub, within the system boundary. Look for the green racks and sign. Please see above for greenride bikeshare hubs.
No. You are able to register for a membership on a computer via our website greenridebikeshare.com or at one of our approved registration locations (see Access page for all details). Once you are registered, you can simply approach the bike, enter your account and PIN on the back of the bike to unlock it, then ride.
No. Users can only rent one bike at a time on their account.
If possible, use your SoBi app to check rack availability at hubs before your ride. However, we understand this is not always ideal so in the case that the rack is full, lock the bike to the nearest regular bike rack or sign post (making sure to not damage anything or impede access) and send us a quick email letting us know:greenride@thegotchagroup.com
No. There is a sensor in the GPS portion of the bike that alerts us to bikes going faster than normal biking speeds. For convenience, the ONLY City bus that a bikeshare bike may be put on is the GMT #11 College Street shuttle.
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