A community bike-share program is a system of bicycles available for short term rental that allows users to get a bicycle at one location and drop it off at another. "Dockless" or "stationless" means the bike-share system has no physical stations or hubs, but instead has designated zones (called havens) where bikes will be placed and locked, ready for the next rider.

Dropbike is a dockless bike-share company, recently started within Canada, who approached the City and Queen's University with a proposal to undertake a pilot of its bike-share system in 2017.

Dropbike uses smart phone technology (downloadable app) to allow you find, acquire and pay for bicycle rentals. For full details about the system and the app please visit the dropbike website.

• Reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollution emissions by providing an alternative to vehicle use  
• Improves public health and supporting active transportation
• Improves road safety with the addition of bicycles builds vehicle awareness of cyclists
• Increases community mobility through adding an affordable and convenient transportation option
• Decreases vehicle congestion on the roads
• Supports the tourism economy by offering visitors another way to see Kingston
• Demonstrates that Kingston is a city that values innovation, fitness and environmental stewardship.

In order to facilitate the pilot test, the City has permitted Dropbike to use approved locations within the City's right-of-way network at no cost, through a licence agreement that requires:

1. Selection of Dropbike "havens" (parking areas for unrented bikes) to be approved by the City's director of engineering and the director of transportation services;
2. A minimum of 100 bicycles deployed from late June through to the end of October, 2017;
3. Deployment of Dropbike bicycles within the University District and the Downtown Business Improvement Area;
4. Contact information for Dropbike to be clearly shown on all deployed bicycles and user interface point-of-sale applications;
5. Commitment of Dropbike to:
   1. maintain bicycles in a safe and fully functional state of operation;
   2. remove any bicycle that is unsafe, damaged or otherwise in need of repair or replacement;
   3. provide regular balancing of the bicycle fleet and remove bicycles that have been left at improper locations;
   4. discourage the use of public bike racks within the right-of-way for Dropbike havens;
   5. operate the system so that it does not create a hazard or restrict access to, from or through any portion of the municipal right-of-way, especially with respect to sidewalks and persons with disabilities;
   6. take steps to avoid parked bikes being easily tipped over;
   7. promote the Dropbike service to the entire community;
   8. respond to inquiries and complaints in a timely and businesslike manner;
   9. maintain operating data and provide data to the City of Kingston upon completion of the pilot test;
   10. remove all bicycles and any appurtenances from the right-of-way upon completion of the pilot test; and
   11. return deposits provided by system users at the end of the pilot or end of user's membership.
6. Insurance and indemnifications to be provided to the satisfaction of the City Solicitor;
7. Refundable financial securities to be provided to the city that are sufficient to pay for the gathering up and disposal of deployed Dropbike bicycles and any appurtenances from the city right-of-way; and
8. Provisions to end the pilot test early and cancel the license agreement should commitments not be kept or conditions become undesirable to the City.