[Wattleigh]

BCycle may go down...

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...ial-hardships/

Houston bike share program BCycle to shut down amid financial hardships

Its annual ridership reached 300,000 trips and was not able to keep up with the operational costs.

ASHLEY BROWN | POSTED ONSEPTEMBER 18, 2023, 4:55 PM (LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 19, 2023, 9:54 AM)

Houstonians who enjoy navigating the city aside from using a car will soon be saying goodbye to a decade-old bike-sharing program. The non-profit Houston Bike Share announced to the Houston Chronicle on Friday that Houston BCycle is shutting down in about two months after experiencing financial hardship.

The program launched in Houston in 2012 with just three stations and about 15 bikes; as of today, there are more than 150 stations across Houston. The organization said it began to grapple with its finances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its annual ridership reached 300,000 trips and was not able to keep up with the operational costs.

"It’s really disappointing for all of us, it’s heartbreaking really," said James Llamas, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Bike Share. "So many people have put so much into this network, most of all our staff – they’ve really stepped up, especially over the last year."

Though Mayor Turner has proposed keeping the service afloat for a while longer through additional funding.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/a...rary-reprieve/

BCycle, Houston’s bike share program, may get a temporary reprieve

Mayor Sylvester Turner is seeking temporary funding while METRO considers establishing its own bike share program to replace it.

MICHAEL HAGERTY | POSTED ONSEPTEMBER 21, 2023, 11:12 AM

Houston BCycle may last a little longer, after all.

Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit that runs the Houston’s bike share program, has announced plans to shut down the program due to lack of funding. But Mayor Sylvester Turner says he will seek $500,000 to help keep the program afloat temporarily.

Meanwhile, METRO, which previously expressed interest in taking over BCycle, is now exploring its own bike share program. In fact, METRO's Public Safety, Customer Service and Operations Committee is scheduled to seek board authorization to pursue just that at a meeting Thursday afternoon.

Why is there suddenly so much energy surrounding keeping a program going that doesn't appear to be financially viable? Well, BCycle, which started in 2012, may well be a victim of its own success.

As mentioned, METRO may be adding a similar network of 20+ stations for bicycles starting next year.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...e-18381048.php

Metro mulling 20 stations, 140 e-bikes as start of its own shared cycling system

Dug Begley,
Staff Writer
Sep. 21, 2023
Updated: Sep. 22, 2023 9:28 a.m.

A new set of shared bikes could be poised for Houston sidewalks, as Metro officials consider a $10.6 million integration of as-needed cycling into the transit system, starting with 20 stations in early 2024.

The proposal, scheduled for approval next Thursday by the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, would approve a three-year deal with PBSC Urban Solutions, with two annual extensions.

The aim is to use cycling either to connect to places within biking distance or to access frequent transit, Metro CEO Tom Lambert said. Though costs are not finalized, the plan would be to charge a price for the bikes similar to the buses and trains, where a person pays $1.25 for a three-hour block of time.

“If you are starting with a bike and going to a bus, that is one trip,” Lambert said.

Metro moving into the bike business comes as the nonprofit running the existing BCycle system struggles to stay afloat. Houston Bike Share said last week without financial help it would start shutting off more stations and close within two months, but city officials are considering heading that off with a $500,000 commitment.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said the funding would help bridge the time between Metro’s system being operational and BCycle finding firm footing or ceasing to exist.

Leadership of the current system said it welcomed Metro's plan.

″We have long felt that Metro should operate bike share in the city," Neeraj Tandon, the nonprofit’s chairman, said in a statement. "Our goal for years has been to migrate the service to a public utility such as Metro because we know bike share is unsustainable without public funding."

If approved, the proposed system would be similar to the BCycle system for users, but with noticeable differences. The app and payment system will be different and integrated with Metro’s fare system.