TX: BCycle, bicycle kiosk system in Houston, ending June 30. Nonprofit cites inability to continue

June 14—Houston’s long-troubled bike-on-demand system is reaching the end of its road.

BCycle, the system of kiosks with available bikes spread across Downtown, Midtown and other locations, will close June 30, officials at the nonprofit that operates it announced.

“Despite our efforts, Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit operator, has been unable to secure the funding and leadership necessary to continue its operations,” the group said.

In a letter sent earlier this month to partners, the nonprofit’s board chair, Neeraj Tandon, said that in collaboration with the city, all BCycle stations around the city could be removed by September 15.

In October, Houston city leaders bailed out the nonprofit with funding through June, in hopes that another bike-sharing system would replace it. At that time, the Metropolitan Transit Authority approved a plan to integrate on-demand bikes into its own operations. However, Metro’s leadership has since changed and interim CEO Tom Jasien said transit officials are still looking for another partner to help cover costs. As a result, despite an agreement with a Canadian company to install 20 kiosks and bring 170 bicycles to Houston, nothing has been done to set up a system.

BCycle, popular with recreational cyclists along Houston’s bayou trails and throughout downtown, has grown from a pilot of three stations and a dozen bikes in the central business district to more than 100 locations offering more than 700 bikes, including 100 pedal-assist electric bikes.

This growth, however, strained the resources of the nonprofit organization that was supposed to maintain and distribute bikes in the region. Offering daily, monthly and annual subscriptions, as well as fees for using bikes for extended periods, have never been enough to cover costs. Grants and corporate sponsorships covered part of the deficit, but as the system grew and the pandemic changed funding, the nonprofit found itself underwater.

“We hope that Houston will soon find a way to reintroduce bike sharing,” the nonprofit said.

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