The B-cycle Story

B-cycle is the first citywide bike sharing system to be introduced in the U.S. It is built on a mission to create simple, sustainable, customized bike-sharing systems that empower individuals and communities to be healthier and have more fun in their daily lifestyle.

Behind B-cycle is a joint venture between three leading American companies: Trek Bicycle Corporation, Humana Inc., and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The founding partners share a belief that bicycles should be a vehicle for positive health and environmental change as well as an important part of a community’s transportation ecosystem.

Although the B-cycle project was initiated in November of 2008, the B-cycle story can be traced back to the Innovation Center at Humana. Inspired by the many successful bike-sharing initiatives in Europe, Humana became a bike sharing advocate in 2007 when it introduced Freewheelin at the company’s Louisville, Ky., headquarters. It proved so popular, Humana teamed up with Bikes Belong the following year to bring Freewheelin to the national political conventions in Denver and Minneapolis – St. Paul. This brought bike sharing to the national stage and grabbed the attention of elected officials and policymakers from around the country.

Since then, and with the addition of founding partners Trek and Crispin Porter + Bogusky, B-cycle has been developed into the simple, commercial, stand-alone and highly scalable modular solution offered today.