Planning & Development
Press Release
City Council Approves Transition Support & Funding for Houston BCycle
September 27, 2023 -- City Council approved a maximum of $500,000 and authorized the Planning and Development Department to work with Houston Bike Share on a transition plan to prevent a previously announced shut-down of the Houston BCycle Program. As a result of the City's actions today, Houston's bike riders can rely on the BCycle program for their transportation needs until METRO rolls out their bike share system.
Houston BCycle started in 2012 with three bike stations and 18 bicycles. It grew to become the largest non-profit bike share programs in the U.S. with more than 150 stations, serving 14 Houston neighborhoods, and over 200,000 riders. Houston’s BCycle riders have come to rely on the BCycle program as an affordable, healthy, and sustainable transportation source to get to their jobs and schools, as well as to foster recreation and exercise.
“It is vital that we ensure these riders continue to have access to this service uninterrupted,” said Mayor Turner, “especially when Houston Bike Share, like the City, is committed to goals such as equitable access to mobility solutions, climate change, and safety on shared roads.”
The BCycle program also aligns with and has contributed to the successful implementation of the City’s Houston Bike Plan, as the City works towards the Plan’s goals of increasing access to bike facilities, increasing ridership, and developing and maintaining facilities. By approving the agreement today, the City ensured the continuity of the BCycle program and demonstrated its unwavering commitment to fulfilling its vision to become a safter, more accessible gold level bike-friendly city by 2027.
HOUSTON BCYCLE
Houston BCycle is the City of Houston’s premier bike share system. Houston BCycle is operated by Houston Bike Share, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission of providing equitable access to bike share that fosters recreation, mobility and personal wellness. Houstonians took nearly 200,000 BCycle rides in 2022, which helped offset more than one million pounds of carbon emissions. Learn more at https://www.houstonbcycle.com/.