Health care company offers bike-sharing program

(AP) -- Some companies provide car service. Humana Inc. does bike share.

The health care provider started a free bike-sharing program for its employees at its Louisville, Kentucky, headquarters about a year and a half ago.

Now it's providing 1,000 bikes each to the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

In Louisville, Humana has more than 2,500 employees registered for the bike program.

They can check out a bike -- or more than one -- from kiosks around the city with a company-issued swipe card, and use it for commuting, personal errands or fun.

The bikes come with built-in navigation systems and can track how many miles have been ridden.

"We encourage people to do things that are healthy and fun," said Dr. Jack Lord, head of innovations at Humana.

At the political conventions in Denver, Colorado, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, only people who registered for the program ahead of time can borrow a bike.

When the conventions are over, Lord said, Humana will donate some of the bikes to the cities.

Humana is also promoting its bike-sharing program -- the high-tech bikes, kiosks and a Web component to track mileage -- to its insurance clients, such as companies with campus-like headquarters and school systems, as a wellness benefit.

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