Two organizations well known by their acronyms have partnered up to bring people in the Capital Region a new way to get from here to there.

With spring on the calendar if not yet in the air, officials are lauding the advent of what they say will be a healthy and affordable mode of transportation. CDPHP and CDTA have joined forces to launch the Capital Region’s first bike-share program. President and CEO of CDPHP Dr. John Bennett says CDPHP Cycle! will premiere this summer. "And this is going to entail having bikes available for rental in all four major cities of the Capital Region. Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Saratoga. And so there will be green and white CDPHP bicycles scattered throughout the Capital Region so that people can get healthy and stay moving, get physical exercise and do all sorts of cool things with that travel, to stay healthy."

CDTA CEO Carm Basile says the popularity of bike-share programs has risen in recent years thanks to their success with connecting residents and tourists with local businesses. CDPHP Cycle! aims to attract new individuals to the area and showcase the Capital Region as an ideal place to live, work, and be entertained. "Same type of bike that we've been showing people, with the basket in front, the GPS devices in the back. The only change is it will have their brand, their logo, their color, green, and they will work together with us to promote it and direct it."

The program will provide 160 high-tech bikes distributed among approximately 20 bike stations. Bennett says CDPHP subscribers can expect a few extra benefits: "CDPHP card-carriers can track their activities with some of our mobile apps like CDPHP in motion. They can share that with their friends, there's some gaming they can do around it. It's our intention to ultimately tie it into CDPHP lifepoints."

Bennett adds more things to come are in the planning stages. There will also be a CDPHP cycle app plus a discount on bike rentals for CDPHP members. The system is expected to go live by August.