BOISE, Idaho — Valley Regional Transit says it will hit the pause button on a bike share program at the end of September.
They are plans to revive and improve Boise GreenBike in the spring of 2021.
VRT say it started making plans about a year ago to transition to a new vendor and bring in electric-assist bikes to replace the aging pedal-only bikes.
Drop Mobility, a Canadian-based bike share provider, was selected last fall to supply the next generation of bike share to Boise. VRT chose to try and grow the system from the 127 bikes in operation today, to 300 or more over the next few years.
Boise GreenBike has relied on ride and membership revenue and sponsorship to cover the cost of operations. Title sponsorships account for 75% of the operating budget. VRT approached the existing title sponsors with the expansion proposal and was turned down, leaving Boise GreenBike with a massive hole in its budget. The City of Boise stepped in with a one-time grant to keep the program operational through the end of the fiscal year, September 30.
VRT had been actively pursuing new title sponsors when the coronavirus pandemic hit. VRT is still working to recruit one or more title sponsors so it can continue with plans to launch the new, more extensive and all-electric system in the spring of 2021. Failing to find new title sponsors will mean the end of bike share in Boise.
Boise GreenBike will be reaching out to all members, especially those with credit in their accounts. Those riders will have the option of riding off their credits or accepting credit in the new system when it launches. Boise GreenBike will not be providing cash refunds.
More than 90 percent of Boise GreenBike riders are "Pay as You Go" members.
For long-term members, those with Monthly, Student, Annual, and Premium memberships, the new bike share system will honor the remaining value they have in their accounts. The auto-renew on these long-term accounts has been turned off, so members won't be charged for benefits they won't be able to use. New riders will have only the "Pay as You Go" membership option.
VRT is developing plans for a second life for these bikes. They may be repurposed for community bike libraries, similar to a program established last year with Interfaith Sanctuary. The bikes might also be auctioned off.
The bike racks and station hubs will stay in place, as the next iteration of bike share will be able to use them. All of the payment kiosks will be removed.
Members should direct questions about their membership status to the Help Desk at 208-345-7433, or email help@boise.greenbike.com.
