Houston bike-sharing program BCycle is closing after financial difficulties and declining ridership, senior vice president says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The city’s bike-share system, BCycle, has been slowed after several years of service in Houston.

The video above is from a previous report.

Many runners arriving at Eleanor Tinsley Park on Monday were confused and out of breath.

“I didn’t know,” Stephanie Resendiz said. “There’s no sign. I was a little disappointed. I wish it was open.”

After paying the rental, Resendiz tried to pick up the bike, but it didn’t move. That’s because the service closed over the weekend.

RELATED: Houston’s bike-share program to close June 30 because it can’t sustain itself, city says

“I was really hoping they were open,” Resendiz said. “We were trying to ride bikes and stuff.”

Apparent financial problems contributed to the program’s closure.

In 2020, the bike-sharing service had 300,000 users. Four years later, the program had fewer than 50,000 users.

“It’s really difficult, after so many years and some success, to show how Houstonians will embrace bikes when they’re affordable and available,” said James Llamas, vice president of Houston Bike Share.

Llamas said that even though the city gave the group $500,000 late last year, it was too late. He added that public money is needed to make bike shares work.

“We’ll see if there’s an outcry or a groundswell of support for this project,” Llamas said. “A lot of other cities have decided to have the transit agency support and/or operate the bike-sharing program.”

ABC13 asked METRO what their vision is for the future. They told ABC13 they are looking at new options, including bike share programs.

Although the city’s service has disappeared, you will soon be able to rent a bike, as METRO has indicated that this option is currently under consideration.

The Baker Institute recently studied public transportation in Harris County.

Attendance is down more than 20% since 2020. It’s even worse for Park N’ Ride, where attendance is down nearly 50% in January 2024 compared to January 2020.

PREVIOUS REPORT: City prevents closure of Houston BCycle bike-share program by approving $540,000 from general fund

The survey found that 66% of residents had not used METRO in a year, and only one in eight used it every week.

The researchers explained that this does not mean that support for public transport should stop; instead, studies should seek to generate new demand.

For some, the solution lies not in buses and trains, but in bicycles. “I think they should bring them back, to be honest,” said André Garcia.

According to Houston BCycle, about a dozen employees will be out of work at some point this summer. People will likely see bikes and racks for several weeks.

The city owns them after purchasing them with a grant. The bike-sharing group said the city could sell the equipment.

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