“It did as well as a service with 14 stations could do,” he said. “If individuals were to live or work or go out where those stations were located, then it worked very well for them.”

DeMaio said he’s glad to hear Richmond has plans to quickly expand and that, as limited as that initial effort in D.C. was, it provided a proof of concept that allowed the city to later launch its more successful service.

That’s how Helmboldt said he sees the city’s initial launch. He said he thinks now that residents and business owners can see how the system works, it will make it easier to expand later.

“Businesses are already recognizing that this is something that’s a community asset and good for business,” he said, citing social media posts by businesses near bike share stations encouraging people to use the system and, in one case, offering discounts to customers who arrive by bike. “I think that will help prime the pump as well when we talk about, can we forgo a parking space if need be to install a new station.”

Helmboldt said the city is also working on another potential issue: the city’s relatively limited network of dedicated bike infrastructure.