Madison B-cycle bikes. Photo by afagen on flickr.

So far almost all the bikesharing systems in the US have been implemented by one of two companies, B-Cycle and Alta Bicycle Share. Alta produces Bixi bikes, which are used by Capital Bikeshare, as well as the bikes in place or planned in New York and Boston. Baltimore on the other hand had been planning on using B-Cycle, but now appears to be switching gears and may flip to Alta.

Apparently Baltimore’s deal with B-Cycle was premised on finding private funding, and had a time limit that has since expired. With funding not yet identified they have to take a step back and negotiate a new contract. That gives them the opportunity to reconsider Alta, which is on the table.

If Baltimore does use the Alta/Bixi system, it might be possible to cross-honor memberships with Capital Bikeshare, allowing Baltimore members to ride in DC and vice versa. Baltimore’s transit Charm Card and WMATA’s SmarTrip cards can already be used in both places, so doing the same with bikesharing makes a ton of sense. And with New York and Boston using the same system, it’s possible that one day Capital Bikeshare members might be able to use bikes all up and down the east coast.