cog_nate 

I'm considering starting a Yellow Bike-type program where I live. Does anyone here have experience with starting up/managing programs like these? Any advice?

weed eater

go to citycarshare.org and snoop around. they are a bay area car-sharing program, but their software and methodology is open source and they are a non-profit. it's in their mission to help out other organizations. worth a shot anyway. their fone is 415-995-8588 if you want to go that route.

RocketsRedglare

Almost happened in Huntington Beach, CA back in the mid 90's. The idea was killed the minute the lawyers saw it. Too many potential liabilites

va_cyclist

They tried it in Charlottesville, Virginia. There's some info at this site: https://www.homestead.com/chaba/freebike.html

Map tester

I volunteer at Decatur Yellow Bike. https://www.dybikes.org/ We have someone who is very good at getting abandoned bikes from local college police depts and at-cost from thrift stores. The local bike shops give us a price break for things like brake cables and tubes. The free building space is donated by a local business person with a lot of warehouse-type of properties, but we have to move about once every 2 years or so, usually with-in a 2 or 3 block area. Moving is a pain, but then you throw out all the stuff that is really not ever going to be used. We are located near a rapid rail station, and in an area of Atlanta that is easy to get around on bikes. And volunteers make or break the organization. Good luck!