Seattle bike-share program hits 4,000 rides in first week

A rider participating in an inaugural ride prepares to check out a bike from Pronto Cycle Share as the program is launched in Seattle on Monday, October 13, 2014. The program will have 500 bicycles available for rent at 50 stations mostly in the core of Seattle. less A rider participating in an inaugural ride prepares to check out a bike from Pronto Cycle Share as the program is launched in Seattle on Monday, October 13, 2014. The program will have 500 bicycles available ... more Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Seattle bike-share program hits 4,000 rides in first week 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Just a week in and Seattle's bike-share program has clocked roughly 4,000 rides with its stable of 500 bikes and netted 1,450 memberships, said Holly Houser, Pronto Cycle Share’s executive director.

It’s too soon to know how many of the helmets Pronto has to provide because of Seattle’s helmet law have been lost or stolen, she added.

... in the beginning

Daily operation of the bike-share program – including buying and setting up the bikes and stations, maintaining them plus a “pretty detailed list of performance metrics” – is run by the private company Alta Bicycle Share.

That contract is worth $1.4 million, Houser explained, and is based on the number of bike-docking stations in operation.

The non-profit Pronto was formed in 2012 and got started with a $1 million federal CMAQ grant, $750,000 from the state Department of Transportation and other public and private grants. Houser said the group hopes to cover 75 percent of costs moving forward through membership sales and bike rentals. The rest they’ll need to backfill with station sponsorships until the program is self-sustaining.

Meanwhile, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has big plans for expanding the program. As My Northwest reported: “Murray has proposed $600,000 in his new budget to bring the service to the Central District, Little Saigon and Yesler Terrace.” Plans are to bring other cities in the region into the program to create a regional network.

Seattle is the only bike-share city in the nation with a helmet requirement. Houser said the “experiment” of allowing riders to pick a helmet from a helmet bin “is actually working out pretty well, so far.” The long-term goal is to use a vending machine so riders have to rent the helmets … which will ensure more helmets will be returned in addition to covering some of the costs.

The “thousands and thousands” of helmets in the system now cost $13 a pop, she said.

What about the hills?

With downtown separated from Capitol Hill by, well, a big hill, riders are using bikes pretty much within neighborhoods. And, that’s what they expected, she said, since each neighborhood by itself is pretty flat.

With the initial launch in Seattle’s densest neighborhoods underway, the focus now is to spread out.

“We are going to be really focused in 2015 on equitable access, both in terms of access to memberships and cost barriers and geographical access,” Houser said.

How it works

As we reported when the program began Oct. 13:

The rental bikes are seven-speed commuter cycles with a pedal-powered headlight. The bikes are lighter than similar cycle share bikes used in other cities, and are based on a bicycle manufactured by Arcade Cycles, a French company. Users with an annual membership use a key fob to unlock a bike at one of 50 stations that are located in downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, South Lake Union, the University District, Eastlake, Pioneer Square and the International District. Bikes will be redistributed by drivers in vans when too many cluster in one area, such as rental stations downhill from other stations. Annual memberships for the bike share program range from $85 to $125. The first half hour of usage is free and there is a charge beyond that for use of the bike.

Jake Ellison can be reached at 206-448-8334 or jakeellison@seattlepi.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/Jake_News. Also, swing by and *LIKE* us on Facebook.