Bike-Sharing-A new public transportation mode: State of the practice & prospects

Bike-Sharing, as a new green public transportation mode, has been developed in several western cities. In this paper we systematically describe the development process and the state of art for the Bike-Sharing Program in the world. We investigated the characteristics of bicycle, business model, operating mechanism, current problems for Bike-sharing programs of the three metropolitan cities in Europe, and we also discussed the development mode and applicability of Bike- Sharing program. Then we provide guidelines that´s where and how to establish the Bike-Sharing program in developing country with the consideration of the weather and topography of the target city. Finally, we discuss how to integrate the bike-sharing to existing transport mode and the future for bike-sharing program.