St. Augustine's New Bikeshare Holds Its Ribbon-Cutting Friday: 90 Bikes, 14 Stations, $5.50 for the First Hour

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - St. Augustine will hold a ribbon-cutting Friday, Nov. 6, for a new bikeshare program featuring 90 bicycles, with rental prices beginning at $5.50 for the first hour, according to the city and the program's operator. The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Plaza de la Constitucion in Historic Downtown St. Augustine, according to the city's Oct. 27 announcement. The locally operated service will include 14 stations and 170 docking spaces, according to Drifters City Bike, with locations serving downtown, West King Street, Anastasia Boulevard and St. Augustine Beach.

The program will offer 80 traditional pedal bicycles and 10 pedal-assist bicycles, according to the city. Riders will be able to use a mobile application to rent bicycles and return them to designated docking locations, according to the operator. Drifters also offers hourly rentals and longer-term memberships, with discounts for Flagler College students listed among the available pricing options.

The city said the program is intended to provide another transportation option for residents and visitors. Its stated goals include improving access to St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, providing an alternative to driving and connecting riders with local businesses. The city has announced Friday's ribbon-cutting, although the official announcement does not establish the exact first day bicycles can be rented.

Friday's ribbon-cutting at Plaza de la Constitucion

The City of St. Augustine has scheduled the bikeshare ribbon-cutting for Friday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. The event will take place at Plaza de la Constitucion in the city's historic downtown, according to the municipal announcement. The city identified Drifters, Inc. as the company operating the program.

Drifters is a locally owned and operated company, according to the city. Its owner and creator, Ian Guthrie, is expected to attend the ceremony. The city's announcement identifies the event as the official ribbon-cutting for the new service.

Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline described the project as "a way for locals and visitors alike to get around town, not in a car, and just enjoy the city," according to the city's announcement. Guthrie said the company designed the system to be "safe, easy, dependable, and convenient for locals and visitors." Both statements were included in the city's Oct. 27 release.

The announcement confirms the ceremony's date, time and location but does not specify when the first customer rentals will become available. Drifters provides rental instructions, pricing and station information on its official website. The city's announcement and the operator's website together describe how the system is intended to work.

Where the 14 bikeshare stations are located

Drifters lists 14 stations with a total of 170 docks across three designated service zones. Its station directory divides the locations into Gold, Purple and Blue zones. Riders should confirm current station locations in the app.

The operator lists six stations in the Gold zone, four in the Purple zone and four in the Blue zone. The following locations come from the Drifters City Bike station directory. The names identify the station locations as published by the company.

According to Drifters, riders can return bicycles to any station with an available dock. The company's instructions do not require riders to return a bicycle to the same station where they started. Instead, the rider docks the bicycle, locks it and ends the ride through the application.

The city's announcement identifies Downtown St. Augustine, West King Street, Anastasia Boulevard and St. Augustine Beach as service areas. Drifters provides the more detailed station directory on its website. The city's release uses the phrase "over 170 docking stations," while the operator lists 14 stations with 170 docks, and this story uses the operator's station-by-station figures.

How much St. Augustine bikeshare rentals cost

According to the pricing section of the Drifters City Bike website, the first hour of a bicycle rental costs $5.50. Each additional hour costs $4.50. The operator also states that the first five minutes of each ride are free.

Drifters lists the same rental price for pedal-assist bicycles as for traditional pedal bicycles, at least for now. The company identifies this as its current pricing arrangement on its website. Its published pricing section provides the hourly rates used here.

The operator also offers longer-term Local Passport memberships. These plans are available for six or 12 months, according to the company's pricing information. The following figures are the published membership prices and their calculated monthly equivalents.

The six-month Local Passport membership works out to approximately $16.50 per month when its $99 price is divided by six. The annual membership works out to $15 per month when its $180 price is divided by 12. These are monthly cost equivalents, not separate monthly payment amounts published for the plans.

The city also identifies monthly memberships and discounts for Flagler College students as program options. Its Oct. 27 announcement does not provide a specific student discount amount. The operator's own FAQ text lists older or conflicting prices, so riders should confirm current rates in the app before riding.

How to rent and return a bicycle

Drifters describes an app-based process for renting bicycles. According to its official website, riders begin by downloading the company's mobile application, creating an account and adding a payment card. They then select either a membership or a pay-as-you-go rental option.

The operator's rental instructions can be summarized in four steps:

1. Download the Drifters app, create an account and add a payment card.
2. Choose a membership or the pay-as-you-go rental option.
3. Unlock a bicycle by entering its bicycle number or scanning its QR code.
4. Return the bicycle to a station with an open dock, lock it and tap "End" in the app.

The city said each bicycle will include a basket, a locking and unlocking mechanism, a mobile application connection and a payment system. Those features are intended to support the rental process described by Drifters. The operator's instructions direct customers to complete their rides through the app after securing the bicycle at a docking station.

Drifters allows bicycles to be returned to any station with an open dock, according to its website. This arrangement permits a ride to begin at one station and finish at another participating location. The company's station directory identifies the locations available within its three service zones.

Age requirements, helmets and beach restrictions

Drifters states that riders must be at least 18 years old to use its bicycles. The operator also recommends wearing a helmet but says helmets are not provided. Both requirements and recommendations appear in the company's published rider information.

The company prohibits riding its bicycles on the beach. Its website lists a $200 fee associated with damage caused by beach riding. That restriction applies even though St. Augustine Beach is among the service areas identified in the city's announcement.

The distinction between a beach-area station and riding on the beach is important to the published rules. The city identifies St. Augustine Beach as part of the bikeshare service area, while Drifters separately states that beach riding is not permitted. The operator's restriction concerns where the bicycles may be ridden, not the existence of service in the beach area.

Each bicycle also includes a locking mechanism, according to the city. Drifters instructs customers to lock bicycles when returning them to a docking station and to end the rental in the application. These steps are part of the company's published instructions for completing a ride.

Why St. Augustine is introducing bikeshare

The City of St. Augustine described the bikeshare program as an alternative to driving. Its Oct. 27 announcement identified improved access to St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach as another objective. The city also said the program is intended to bring riders to local businesses.

The system's published service areas include downtown destinations, West King Street, Anastasia Boulevard and St. Augustine Beach. Drifters lists stations near locations such as Flagler College, the Lightner Museum and the Downtown Marina. Those locations form part of the 14-station network described on the operator's website.

The program features both traditional pedal bicycles and pedal-assist models, according to the announcement. Of the 90 bicycles, 80 are pedal bikes and 10 are pedal-assist bikes. Drifters currently lists the same rental pricing for both types.

Guthrie's comments in the city's announcement emphasized convenience and dependability for both residents and visitors. Mayor Sikes-Kline's remarks emphasized the ability to travel around the city without a car. Those statements reflect the purposes and expectations expressed by the city and operator for the new program.

What the official information confirms about the launch

The confirmed public event is Friday's 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting at Plaza de la Constitucion, according to the City of St. Augustine. The city has announced a fleet of 90 bicycles and identified Drifters as the local operator. Drifters has published a 14-station directory, rental prices, membership options and customer instructions.

The operator's station directory lists 170 individual docking spaces distributed among its 14 locations. That count distinguishes the number of stations from the number of docks available within them. The city's announcement uses different wording for docking locations, while the operator supplies the station-by-station figures presented here.

The exact date on which customers can first unlock bicycles is not established by the city's ribbon-cutting announcement. The official information confirms the planned ceremony rather than an independently verified first rental date. Drifters provides its current station directory, pricing and rental instructions at drifterscitybike.com.

The city's original announcement is available through the City of St. Augustine website. The announcement lists Melissa Wissel, the city's communications director, as the media contact at 904-293-3307. The scheduled Nov. 6 ceremony and the operator's published service details provide the confirmed information about the program's introduction.