Price Change & Network Update

Houston BCycle to close more stations and increase prices.

Houston Bike Share, the nonprofit operator of the Houston BCycle program, has been unable to complete a partnership agreement with Houston METRO that would allow for a transitional investment of up to $500,000. After six months of inquiry and a resolution passed by the METRO Board of Directors that approved the partnership, METRO’s Chief Financial Officer confirmed with Houston BCycle that they would not enter into a transportation partnership or provide any of the funds allocated by the METRO Board. As such, Houston Bike Share will continue to fulfill its mission to provide Houstonians with bike share access with edited service to the public.

Effective February 16, 2024, bike share fees will change to $1.25 to unlock plus ¢10 per minute for mechanical bikes, or ¢20 per minute for e-bikes. Our membership will also change from $25 to $19 per month. Members pay ¢5 per minute for e-bikes, with unlimited mechanical rides under 60 minutes, afterwards, a ¢10 per minute surcharge is added.

Since 2012, Houston BCycle has been committed to providing equitable access to bike share that fosters recreation, mobility and personal wellness. In 2022, Houston BCycle provided more than 212,000 rides to the public, including our 1,700+ annual and monthly members. Our focus has been to leverage our status as a transportation agency to access funding for capital and operations, sustain a high quality and reliable bike share network, and increase access to people who want or need bike share as a transportation option.

In October 2022, our projections showed that the entire network was at risk of closure by March 31, 2023 unless additional operating support was found. We began conversations with Houston METRO in October 2022 to identify ways bike share can advance METRO’s mission and goals towards regional connectivity. On January 27, 2023, Houston METRO’s board of directors approved a resolution that permits a 6-to-9-month partnership with Houston Bike Share (BCycle) and provides up to $500,000 in funding. This partnership was intended, and has the opportunity, to provide Houston METRO an active space to investigate, access, audit and design a state-of-the-art bike share system bespoke to the organizational and consumer needs of the region. Disbursement of the allocated funds will allow the continuation of the region’s current bike share operations until METRO’s transition plan is complete. All efforts from Houston Bike Share will continue to focus on the reputation and integrity of bike share in the region and prepare for the improved model of bike sharing operated by METRO.

While we continue to campaign for METRO to complete due diligence to support the current bike share network according to their Board of Director’s resolution, high-revenue stations in parks, Downtown Houston, and those supported by Midtown Management District will remain operational. Additional stations may be reactivated as operating support partners increase their support and/or with METRO’s investigation into their support to bike share in the region.

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Houston Bike Share is the non-profit operator of the Houston BCycle program. We are the largest non-profit bike share in the U.S. with more than 150 stations, serving 14 Houston neighborhoods and more than 200,000 riders. Since 2010, the City of Houston and Harris County have supported and collaborated with Houston Bike Share’s development and access to funding. For more information visit HoustonBCycle.com or contact Interim Executive Director, Maya Ford at Maya@HoustonBikeShare.org.