ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A new bike-share program officially launched in St. Augustine with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, offering residents and visitors a new way to explore America’s oldest city after three years of planning. The Drifters City Bike Share provides service across Downtown St. Augustine, West King, Anastasia Island, and St. Augustine Beach.
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Ian Guthrie, owner of small business Drifters Beach and Bike Rentals, developed the program to help riders navigate the community while driving customers to neighborhood merchants.
Riders pay for bike rentals directly through the bike-share program’s mobile app. The system launched with 90 bicycles, 14 tower stations and 62 single-docking stations placed at participating businesses, with total infrastructure designed to support up to 170 docking stations across the area.
Ten of the fleet’s bicycles are pedal-assisted models governed to top speeds of 15 mph. Rather than adopting the heavy aesthetic seen in large municipal programs like New York City’s Citi Bike, Guthrie opted for a custom design intended to look clean and classic.
“We want to keep it clean, classic and simple, but also very tough and dependable,” Guthrie said. “A lot of those other bicycles can be really heavy and clunky, but we’ve done a complete custom design.”
The economic goal of the bike share is to connect riders with local shops and restaurants throughout St. Augustine. “We’re focused on not only providing bikes, but letting people know what there is to do and where to go, and a lot of that is highlighting the local businesses in town,” Guthrie said.
Residents noted the benefits of expanding transit methods across the city. Ian Searcy, a resident who plans to take a ride soon, favored the new initiative. “More transportation options it’s always better,” Searcy said.
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