Bay Area Bike Share to Launch August 29 (Not 28)

The official launch date for Bay Area Bike Share is Thursday, August 29, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced today. The BAAQMD corrected the August 28 date announced yesterday by the Valley Transportation Authority and reported in some media outlets.

In a statement, Mayor Ed Lee called the launch "the first step in our city’s efforts to build a world-class bike share system for San Francisco." The system will initially include just 700 bikes -- likely far below the number of bikes needed to meet demand -- and BAAQMD still says the system will be expanded to 1,000 bikes in the first quarter of 2014.

"Bay Area Bike Share will give San Francisco’s residents and visitors access to a bike when they want one," said Lee. "It’s an easy, convenient, affordable and healthy transportation option that we’re eager to add to our transportation network, and we look forward to seeing Bay Area Bike Share transform the way we move around San Francisco."

As we reported, Alta Bike-Share began installing stations in San Jose early last week, and the VTA said on Twitter today that Mountain View and Palo Alto would be next in line. Update: The "majority" of San Francisco's stations will be installed next week, according to BAAQMD spokesperson Karen Schkolnick.

You can sign up for a Bay Area Bike Share membership on the system's website.