In order to improve the air quality and the traffic conditions in the Bay Area of San Francisco, the regional air quality and transit officials are planning to launch a bike-rental program later this year with 70 docking stations, holding 700 Canadian-made bicycles, stretching from San Francisco to San Jose.

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The program will be operate in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.Karen Schkolnick, the manager of Bay Area Air Quality Management District said this program draws from the experience in Paris; London; Boston; Washington, D.C.; and one launched in New York earlier this month.

"The $7 million program is set to launch in August with about 700 seven-speed, unisex bikes made by the Montreal-based Public Bike System Company, with equipment repairs to be handled by Alta Bike Share of Portland, Ore.," Schkolnick said.

For those who want to rent the bike, they have to be 18 or older. They can become members for a day or more for an as-yet-undetermined fee, and can use their credit or debit cards at terminals at docking stations to release the bikes, according to Schkolnick. In addition, the prospective users would have to sign a user agreement and would be charged if they do not return the bike.

Normally, the time of length for using a bike is 30 minutes, but riders can pay to use them for longer periods.

The agencies are also planning to increase the program to 1,000 bikes by next year and "as many as 6,000 to 10,000 farther down the road."

"The bikes are sturdy, with adjustable seats and baskets for storage," Schkolnick said. "We're excited about how this will work as a mobility solution," he continued.