Overcoming the Challenges of Winter Bike Share Phil Goff, Sr. Associate and Director of Bike Share Services 2/3/15
Presentation AGENDA Why a year round program is important The geography of seasonal programs The challenges to moving beyond seasonal Strategies for expanding operations
What is bike share? Fleet of shared bikes, accessible to members Member accounts connected to a credit card account Bikes available for a free period usually 30 45 minutes or additional fee Short, point to point trips Perfect compliment to transit
Year round bike share vs. seasonal Benefits of a year round bike share program: Functions truly like a transit system Predictability for annual/monthly members and casual users Avoids need to re deploy every spring Additional visibility and awareness of bicyclists throughout the winter
The geography of seasonal programs
The geography of seasonal programs Seasonal programs with partial winter operations Madison B Cycle 2015 16 winter pilot: 6 of 40 stations Hamilton SoBi 2015 16 winter pilot: 200 of 750 bikes deployed Hubway Year round system in Cambridge 50% of Boston stations open thru December 31
Three Approaches to Partial Operations 1. Less Dense Network o Madison B Cycle: Pilot w/ 6 of 40 stations through the winter 2. Limited Service Area o Hubway: 50% of Boston stations through December; 100% year round in Cambridge (36 of 140 stations) 3. Fewer Bikes Deployed o Hamilton SoBi: Pilot with 200 of 750 bikes through the winter o Divvy: 33% of fleet in storage o Pittsburgh Healthy Ride: 50% of the fleet in storage
The geography of seasonal programs City System Name Equipment Type City(ies) Population Current Number of bikes Operations Average Temp. (F) Average Winter Low (F) Annual Snow Fall Boulder, CO Boulder B Cycle Dock 101,771 250 bikes (38 stations) Annual 52 23 89" Montreal, QU Bixi Dock 3,824,221 5,000 bikes (460 stations Seasonal 45 10 82" Ottawa, ON VeloGo Dock + Smart Lock 870,250 500 bikes (50 stations) Seasonal 36 13 69" Salt Lake City, UT GREENBike B Cycle Dock 189,462 150 bikes (20 stations) Seasonal 55 30 56" Minneapolis, MN Nice Ride Dock 7,000,000 1750 bikes (190 stations) Seasonal 46 12 54" Denver, CO Denver B Cycle Dock 634,265 709 bikes (83 stations) Annual 50 19 54" Madison, WI Madison B Cycle Dock 240,323 350 bikes (35 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 46 17 53" Fargo, ND Great Rides Bike Share Dock 113,658 100 bikes (11 stations) Seasonal 42 8 50" Toronto, ON Bixi Dock 2,800,000 600 ikes (60 stations) Annual 53 26 47" Milwaukee, WI Bublr Bikes Dock 599,642 74 bikes (10 stations) Annual 47 21 47" Hamilton, ON SoBi Smart Lock 740,238 750 bikes (115 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 44 16 46" Greater Boston, MA Hubway Dock 878,786 1,300 bikes (140 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 51 22 44" Pittsburgh, PA Healthy Ride Dock + Smart Lock hybrid 306,189 500 bikes (50 stations) Annual 52 26 41" Chicago, IL Divvy Dock 2,715,000 3,000 bikes (300 stations) Annual 50 23 36" New York City, NY Citibike Dock 8,344,000 6,000 bikes (332 stations) Annual 55 29 28" Philadelphia, PA Indego Dock 1,549,000 600 bikes (72 stations) Annual 55 28 22" Boise, ID Boise GreenBike Smart Lock 214,000 110 bikes (15 stations) Annual 52 27 19" Washington, DC Capital Bikeshare Dock 1,010,450 2,900 bikes (346 stations) Annual 55 29 14"
The geography of seasonal programs City System Name Equipment Type City(ies) Population Current Number of bikes Operations Average Temp. (F) Average Winter Low (F) Annual Snow Fall Boulder, CO Boulder B Cycle Dock 101,771 250 bikes (38 stations) Annual 52 23 89" Montreal, QU Bixi Dock 3,824,221 5,000 bikes (460 stations Seasonal 45 10 82" Ottawa, ON VeloGo Dock + Smart Lock 870,250 500 bikes (50 stations) Seasonal 36 13 69" Salt Lake City, UT GREENBike B Cycle Dock 189,462 150 bikes (20 stations) Seasonal 55 30 56" Minneapolis, MN Nice Ride Dock 7,000,000 1750 bikes (190 stations) Seasonal 46 12 54" Denver, CO Denver B Cycle Dock 634,265 709 bikes (83 stations) Annual 50 19 54" Seasonal Programs Annual Programs Average Temperature Winter Low Temperature Annual Snow Fall (inches) 45 degrees (F) 16 degrees (F) 57 Madison, WI Madison B Cycle Dock 240,323 350 bikes (35 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 46 17 53" Fargo, ND Great Rides Bike Share Dock 113,658 100 bikes (11 stations) Seasonal 42 8 50" 52 degrees (F) 24 degrees (F) 39 Toronto, ON Bixi Dock 2,800,000 600 ikes (60 stations) Annual 53 26 47" Milwaukee, WI Bublr Bikes Dock 599,642 74 bikes (10 stations) Annual 47 21 47" Hamilton, ON SoBi Smart Lock 740,238 750 bikes (115 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 44 16 46" Greater Boston, MA Hubway Dock 878,786 1,300 bikes (140 stations) Annual (Partial Winter Operations) 51 22 44" Pittsburgh, PA Healthy Ride Dock + Smart Lock hybrid 306,189 500 bikes (50 stations) Annual 52 26 41" Chicago, IL Divvy Dock 2,715,000 3,000 bikes (300 stations) Annual 50 23 36" New York City, NY Citibike Dock 8,344,000 6,000 bikes (332 stations) Annual 55 29 28" Philadelphia, PA Indego Dock 1,549,000 600 bikes (72 stations) Annual 55 28 22" Boise, ID Boise GreenBike Smart Lock 214,000 110 bikes (15 stations) Annual 52 27 19" Washington, DC Capital Bikeshare Dock 1,010,450 2,900 bikes (346 stations) Annual 55 29 14"
Moving beyond a seasonal program Key Challenges Snow clearing policies/procedures Winterized bike infrastructure Operations/wear and tear Policy/funding challenges Concerns about low use User concerns about snow/ice, safety and cold weather
Snow clearing policies and procedures
Snow clearing policies and procedures Citibike System 72 hours after 26 of snow
Snow clearing policies and procedures The work of Motivate s contractors for Hubway in Cambridge
Snow clearing policies and procedures Storm Preparations Pittsburgh: place 60% of fleet in storage, lock the rest Chicago: rarely shuts down system (2x in 2 years) NYC & Cambridge: with >12 of snow, locks down entire system Snow Clearance Pittsburgh & Milwaukee: nonprofit does all shoveling Chicago: done by vendor; prioritized list of key stations Cambridge: vendor shovels and spreads non corrosive ice melt; vendor paid per inch of snow, City pays Motivate fixed price per season
Operational issues Low Temperatures Pittsburgh: some problems with batteries, shifters and brakes freezing Madison: most stations left inplace, winterized, with computer hardware removed Cambridge: bikes removed with dock cleared of snow/ice to prevent freezing Dealing with salt on roads Pittsburgh: corrosionresistant spray on bikes and cold rated lube within hubs Cambridge: uses rust buster chains, frequently lubed Cambridge and Chicago: hand cleaning of bikes & stations on regular basis (both avoid power washing due to ice) Cambridge: one van full of bikes to the shop each night
Winterized bicycle infrastructure Chicago Hit or miss in Cambridge
Policy/funding challenges Milwaukee Bublr Non profit s mission is to provide transportation year round Cambridge Hubway 2012: 80% of 24 station launch was off street 2013: surveys showed clear desire for winter service 2014: Recalculated donor costs for winter operations (no add l costs for users) New Hubway curb extension in Cambridge
Policy/funding challenges Winter Operations Cost related PRO S o No removal and storage of equipment required o Revenues related to walkup rentals o Minimal rebalancing due to lower use Winter Operations Cost related CON S o Additional wear and tear on bikes and stations o Additional replacement of batteries o Station snow clearance (need for additional staff or contractors)
Concerns about low use Citibike Summer peak: 1.2 million/month Winter low: 0.2 million/month (17% of peak)
Concerns about low use Citibike
Concerns about low use Divvy Summer peak: >500k/month Winter low: 50k/month (10% of peak)
Concerns about low use Hubway Cambridge Summer peak: 38k/month Cambridge Winter low: 5 10k/month (15 25% of peak)
Concerns about low use Hubway Cambridge Summer peak: 12k/month Cambridge Winter low: <500/month (<5% of peak)
Concerns about low use Others Milwaukee Bublr o 5500 trips in Oct. 2015 o 1600 trips in Dec. 2015 o Madison B Cycle o 16,257 trips in July 2015 (29 trips/dock/month) o 356 trips in Jan. 2016 (3.6 trips/dock/month, 12% of July peak)
User concern about safety and cold Web site and Social Media Strategy Winter Rider Safety Pittsburgh Winter Riding Tips NYC, Cambridge, Madison Divvy in the Winter riding tips and explanation of services provided by Divvy
User concern about safety Low gearing for slow speeds Heavy bike (40-45 lbs) = stability Upright position w/ good visibility Wider tires (in Madison, knobby tires for winter) Hub roller brakes for all-weather stopping Built-in lights and generator
Divvy s winter marketing programs #HOLIDIVVY Unicorn Bike campaign Winter themed prizes Mid winter free meal for new members
Divvy s winter marketing programs #DIVVYON Custom hashtag to connect riders and collect winter images
Divvy s winter marketing programs Winter Ridership Contest during lead in to 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia Gold Medal: Awarded to any member who took 50+ trips Silver Medal: Awarded to members who took 25+ trips Bronze Medal: Awarded to members who took 5+ trips All medalists were announced on Divvy web site and Social Media
Divvy s winter marketing programs Leveraging the Media Divvy Data Challenge: celebrates the release of yearend data, which engages members, tech community and media Member survey: findings released during winter to drum up press
Key Lessons for year round service If possible, bring in third party vendor for snow/ice clearance Plan for off street station sites Expect 15 20% of peak use Frequent cleaning a must Winterize bike if necessary Market and promote winter riding like crazy