This Fall, New York City denizens will have the opportunity to test an experimental public bike share system. SoBi, the Social Bicycle System, presents an alternative to traditional public transportation and will allow riders the freedom to find and unlock nearby available communal bikes using an Andriod or iPhone application.

SoBi is the first public bike share system to rely entirely on wireless technology for tracking, locating and unlocking bikes. The system is compromised of three elements: the social cyclist, the central server and the social bicycle.

Here’s how it will work: after creating a SoBi account — via web, mobile phone or street kiosk — a cyclist will have unlimited access to bicycles in the bike share system, which will be equipped with GPS, a secure lock and wireless communications. Once the cyclist locates an available bike, he can use a pin code to unlock it. The central server will approve and track the transaction.

SoBi’s technology accommodates bikers who plan to make short stops on their ride. Riders can hit the hold button on the lock panel to ensure that no other public bike share riders swipe their bike. The hold, however, only lasts ten minutes. For those commuters looking to track down a bike in advance, the SoBi system is also setup to allow them to request a bike via text message or mobile application.

SoBi is designed with both the cyclist and the city in mind. Riders have their own SoBi profile which tracks their rides and even calculates calories burned. Users can also view a map of their travel habits, share their trips and see if friends are biking nearby.

Those managing the SoBi system will have access to a wealth of data on all bicycles in the fleet. Fleet management tools include inventory stats, status alerts and bike density data so that staffers can keep an eye on the fleet and redistribute bikes as needed.

SoBi creators claim that the their solution is cheaper to deploy and easier to manage than other city-share programs being tested elsewhere. If executed as planned, the SoBi system would also present commuters with a convenient alternative to city transportation.

Founder Ryan Rzepecki is an Urban Planner and former New York Department of Transportation. He expects a prototype of the system to be ready in four to six weeks. Until then, you can watch him explain the SoBi system in the video below: