# Building a Regional Bike-Sharing Network

## Network Model

A regional bike-sharing network has to behave less like a single-city fleet and more like a distributed transportation system. Stations may belong to different municipalities, but riders expect one account, one fare policy, and reliable bike availability across the full service area.

## Data Flow

Each dock reports inventory, lock status, battery level, and fault codes through an edge gateway. Gateways buffer events locally during cellular outages, then publish signed messages to a regional event bus once connectivity returns.

```yaml
station:
  heartbeat_interval_seconds: 30
  offline_buffer_hours: 6
  telemetry_topics:
    - inventory
    - dock_status
    - maintenance_alerts
```

## Rebalancing

The hardest operational problem is rebalancing. Demand changes by weekday, weather, transit delays, and local events, so the dispatch system combines historical trip data with live dock pressure to recommend van routes every 15 minutes.

## Payments And Access

A shared identity layer lets riders unlock bikes through mobile apps, transit cards, or short-term pass codes. Fare calculation runs centrally so cross-border trips between towns can be settled later without exposing that complexity to the rider.

## Reliability

The network should degrade gracefully. If the central API is unreachable, stations can still validate recently issued unlock tokens, accept returns, and preserve trip records until synchronization succeeds.