Downtown bikeshare starts pedaling today

A new bikeshare program along the Indianapolis Cultural Trail starts today.

Called Pacers Bikeshare, the program features 25 stations and 250 bicycles dotted throughout the city.

"New urban dwellers" want to be connected to their city in ways other than cars, Mayor Greg Ballard said earlier this month.

"(It's) quickly becoming the norm in major cities," he said.

Here's how the program works:

Bikes are available by purchasing either a 24-hour pass ($8) or an annual membership ($80).

Passes give you access to a bike for unlimited 30-minute trips. Trips more than 30 minutes incur overage fees of $2 for 30-60 minutes and $4 for each additional 30 minutes.

Stations, which will be throughout the city on or near the Cultural Trail, will be open 5:30 a.m. to midnight year-round.

Locations will include Monument Circle, IUPUI, Old National Centre, Fountain Square, Broad Ripple, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Circle Centre mall.

Simply check out a bike and go for a spin. Return the bike to any station along the trail.

With the launch of Pacers Bikeshare, Indianapolis joins major cities such as New York, Chicago, Denver, Boston and Washington, D.C., in having bikeshare programs.

The Pacers name? That's due to an undisclosed financial contribution from the Simon family, who owns the Indiana Pacers. Indy's bikeshare is the first in the nation to be connected to a professional sports team, said Kären Haley, executive director of the Cultural Trail.

The Herbert Simon Family Foundation funded the startup costs and will fund the ongoing operations. Another $1 million was given by the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Simons want to give back "to a city we feel has given us so much," said Rachel Simon, a member of the foundation.

Pacers Bikeshare "will cultivate a higher level of environmental awareness in the community," she said.

Log onto pacersbikeshare.org or call (317) 653-1948 for more information on the program.

Call Star reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow at (317) 444-6012. Follow her on Twitter: @danabenbow.