LinkBike is a public bicycle sharing system serving the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of George Town in Penang,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Launched in 2016, it is the first such system in

. Currently, there are 250 LinkBike bicycles and 25 stations throughout the city, including its

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, as well as suburban places like Queensbay Mall. LinkBike, which is jointly funded by the

Penang Island City Council The City Council of Penang Island is the council that administers the city of Pulau Pinang, which includes the entirety of Penang Island, Malaysia. The city council, which has jurisdiction over an area of , falls under the purview of the Penang ...

and Fast Rent Bike (PG) Sdn. Bhd, a local private limited firm, is part of the wider efforts undertaken by the

Penang state government The Government of Penang ( ms, Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang) refers to the government authority of the Malaysian state of Penang. The state government adheres to and is created by both the Constitution of Malaysia, the supreme law of Malaysia, an ...

to alleviate traffic congestion within George Town, as well as to promote environmentally-friendly alternative transportation modes.

History

In August 2016, the

Chief Minister of Penang The Chief Minister of Penang is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Penang. According to convention, the chief minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The chi ...

Lim Guan Eng Lim Guan Eng (; born 8 December 1960) is a Malaysian politician and accountant from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan, Member of t ...

, announced the planned public bicycle sharing service within George Town. The proposed system, an internet of things (IoT)-based initiative of the

, is to be operated on a public-owned and privately managed model. Of the RM1.85 million allocated to run the service, 90% was to be borne by the

, while Fast Rent Bike (PG), which contributed the remaining 10% of the cost, would operate the system. LinkBike was launched on 17 December 2016, with nine stations within George Town and an initial fleet of 60 bicycles. Not only is LinkBike the first public bicycle sharing system in

, it also made George Town the first city in Malaysia to operate such a system. LinkBike's fleet was enlarged to 250 bicycles by April 2017. Since its launch, LinkBike recorded a ridership figure of 3,422 . This figure rose sharply to 8,583 by 28 May. Simultaneously, LinkBike has been expanded to 25 stations scattered throughout George Town, covering various destinations between

Gurney Drive Gurney Drive (,, ) is a popular seafront promenade within George Town, Penang, Malaysia. The road is also famous for the street cuisine at the seafront's hawker centre and has been listed as one of the 25 best streets worldwide to visit by the ...

to the north and Queensbay Mall, near

Bayan Lepas Bayan Lepas is a town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is located within the Southwest Penang Island District, near the southeastern tip of Penang Island. Founded in the 19th century, Bayan Lepas has various industries. History Bayan Le ...

, to the south. LinkBike Kelawei, George Town, Penang

Technology

LinkBike utilises two electronic rental payment methods - the smart card and the smartphone application. The smartphone app is designed as a

QR code A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...

scanner and comes with a location-based

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

feature that indicates the nearest LinkBike stations, as well as the number of available bicycles at any particular station updated in real time. Meanwhile, LinkBike's smart card can be topped up using either cash or credit card at LinkBike's office at the

Esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cl ...

. Each LinkBike bicycle has been fitted with an LED-powered

dynamo "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundati ...

hub that lights up the bicycle's front and rear once motion is detected; this is intended to improve the visibility and safety of riders at night.

Pricing

The first 30 minutes of each ride is free-of-charge, after which a fee of RM1 is imposed for every subsequent hour. Users can also purchase daily, weekly, monthly or annual passes, ranging from RM2 for 24 hours to RM30 for a one-year pass.

Stations

, 25 LinkBike stations have been installed within and around George Town, including 12 throughout the city's

. Each station has either 10 or 12 bicycle parking docks.

History

Technology

Pricing

Stations

See also