There are two types of systems, with a subtle but (IMHO) important differences. You may notice that in the story it reference buying ‘stations’. These stations basically lock and charge the bikes...charging the electronic keypad and gps.
Another version has a small solar panel on the back fender...and there is a bike lock on board. No need for ‘stations’...any bike rack will do. Besides saving on costs, it means instant flexibility. For example, the bikeshare could deem a dozen existing bike racks on a college campus as drop off points...with only one or two bikes per point. In a day, presto the campus is covered. No building pads for the stations and taking up valuable space...just use whats already there.
IOW, the Seattle stuff is not as useful...and no city should buy it.
The current Dallas system has two fixed stations at Fair Park so you can rent one to ride around the large, empty, fairgrounds in the middle of the ghetto 11 months of the year. $5 for 30 minutes, $50 all day. For about 3 days of rental, you could get a better bike at Walmart. https://fairparktx.bcycle.com/