Indianapolis Has First U.S. Bikeshare Named After a Sports Team

Indianapolis is the latest U.S. city to roll out a bikeshare program but it has something that no other program does -- branding that matches the city's basketball team, the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers Bikeshare will launch in late April with 250 bikes and 24 stations dispersed throughout downtown Indianapolis and the city's bike path.

The bikes are bright yellow with the Indiana Pacers name prominently placed on the bikes' handle bars and body. And unlike any bikeshare worldwide, there are basketballs adorning the back wheels.

The bikes' unique look is due to one man: Herbert Simon. Simon is owner of the Indiana Pacers and his foundation Herbert Simon Family Foundation is one of the founding partners for the bikeshare program.

According to a Visit Indy spokesperson, the name was chosen to highlight one example of how the Pacers, or Simon in particular, supports the Indianapolis community,

Pacers Bikeshare is among the smaller systems rolled out in the U.S. with its 250 bikes falling somewhere in between Bike Chattanooga and Houston B-Cycle.

Locals and visitors can pay $8 for a 24-hour pass or $80 for an annual membership. This is about average for a program of its size.