Aurora is home to three dockless bike-share providers, now that San Francisco-based Spin has rolled into the city.

After scoring a bike-share permit on Oct. 30, Spin brought an initial fleet of 250 bright orange bicycles to town. The company expects to bring thousands more to Aurora as the program grows, said CEO and co-founder Derrick Ko.

Aurora debuted its bike-share permit program Oct. 2 and quickly attracted the first two companies, LimeBike and Ofo. Dockless bike-shares differ from the traditional model (think BCycle in Denver) by eliminating the designated stations where users pick up and drop off bicycles.

Spin is already looking into adding a permit to operate on the Anschutz Medical Campus, Ko said. He hopes its position in Aurora will act as a foothold to expand into neighboring cities, particularly Denver.

“We look forward to not only be in Aurora, but to expand beyond Aurora,” Ko said.

There is no cap on the number of bike-share companies that can apply to Aurora’s permit program. However, now that the city is home to “the three main actors” in dockless bike-sharing, Aurora officials plan to focus on the long-term success of bike sharing, urban planner Brenden Paradies said.

“What we’re really going to focus on is regulation and making the program sustainable,” he said.

The city will focus on education and access, Paradies said, including teaching residents how to check out and use a bike share and finding a rental solution for people who don’t have a credit card or smartphone. Close collaboration between Aurora and the bike providers is crucial for success.

“We want to work with the city to make this successful to all neighborhoods and all communities,” Ko said.

The first month of bike sharing in Aurora yielded positive ridership data. Residents made about 2,000 trips on bike-share cycles in October. Paradies and other officials are eager to share the news and lessons learned in articles for academic journals and with other municipalities considering dockless bike-share programs.

“It’s been cool to roll with the punches and to learn,” Paradies said.

Spin rides cost $1 for 30 minutes. Or, you can pay $29 a month or $99 a year and enjoy unlimited 30-minute rides.







