Letter from our Board Chair, Maya Ford (Updated January 27)
Dear Riders,
Since 2012, BCycle Houston has been committed to providing equitable access to bike share that fosters recreation, mobility and personal wellness. When Neeraj Tandon and I assumed the role as the Chairs of the Board in December 2021, our goal was to continue the charge to develop a safe, equitable bicycle network where everyone has access to a bike for work, play and transportation. We had 3 primary goals: leverage our status as a transportation agency to access funding for capital and operations, sustain a high quality and predictable bike share network, and increase access to folks that want or need bike share as an alternative to using a car.
These goals are seemingly logical in theory, but present complex challenges in practice. While the pandemic increased awareness and use of our network in 2020, the rush of use amidst unpredictable market conditions caused us to be further behind. We had increased demand, but slowly declining ridership and income because our systems were unreliable. Many of you have seen and are impacted by our decision to suspend half of our network in an effort to regroup. We’d like to offer a more clear explanation of our intent and expectations.
Bike share is unprecedented in U.S. transportation, so we don’t have a long list of case studies to rely on in decision making. Over the past 10 years, we rapidly scaled the network to meet the growing demand for bike share access. This increased our expenses, wear and tear on hardware, and stressed our human capacity to maintain the network. At the same time, our income wasn’t growing in alignment with the expenses. Additionally, we worked to increase access to safe transportation by establishing stations in areas that have suffered from historic inequity. Our many partners throughout the city welcomed our efforts and contributed initial financial, resource, and community support; however, we failed our agreements by not requesting equitable support for our service, maintenance and repair. We built the system, but quickly learned that we weren’t properly quantifying how to care for it.
Last fall when our projections showed that the entire network was at risk of closure, we considered ways we’d be able to switch gears so that we could keep Houston rolling until we could get help. Our considerations included suspending the entire network for 6 months, limiting operations to peak hours only, and suspending a portion of the network to sustain basic operations. We activated the latter option because it allowed us to fulfill basic financial obligations to our expert staff, municipal funders, and users. As of January 1, 2023, 75 of the 150+ stations are suspended. The metrics we used were based upon current use, station hardware type, and cost of maintenance.
Simultaneously, we sounded the alarms with our municipal guarantors to let them know that we needed all hands on deck. They quickly addressed the value, impact, and investment in bike share and rallied together to help us begin a plan of attack. All eyes are on bike share including the City of Houston, Harris County, METRO, H-GAC, and our regional partners, universities and management districts.
On January 26, 2023, METRO approved a 9-month operations partnership with us to a) provide immediate support to our operations functions, and b) identify ways to integrate bike share into it's infrastructure and service plans as an investment to the region's multi-modal goals. This partnership sets the stage to help us achieve our 3 primary goals: leverage our status as a transportation agency to access funding for capital and operations, sustain a high quality and predictable bike share network, and increase access to folks that want or need bike share as an alternative to using a car.
BCycle users can expect the current suspended network to sustain through March 2023. At that point, we’ll decide to open, change, or permanently close stations based on new agreements, station hardware, and better information from riders on desired use. With METRO, we'll work to get financially stable by renegotiating contracts and improving our operations, challenging our vendors about software and hardware consistency, and reassessing our assumptions about mobility in Houston by digging deeper into your values and needs. The holidays provided pause for consideration and reflection, and this agreement is the first action that allows us to pedal towards our destination.
Rightfully, folks are concerned and upset. How can we be a public utility if we can’t operate predictably? We can’t, and we need to figure out how to do this in a way that serves Houston’s unique needs. You all don’t know us, personally, but we’re not shy about problem solving. We don’t do this for political or financial gain. We are 45 people who are passionate, considerate, and practicing solution-based thinking to mitigate climate change, poverty, and safety on shared roads. Nearly 1/3 of the folks working towards this goal are volunteers. As bicycle riders, we know that falling - a personal crash with gravity - is a part of the nuance we can never take for granted. The good news is that our fall has a root cause that we quickly identified and can repair.
Your voice is a part of the solution. Help us create a sustainable network that meets your bicycle transportation needs.
Ask your management or council district to pay for service, maintenance, and repairs of your station. This year, we’re only asking for $7,500/station per year to keep each station open.
We’ve proven to be a reliable non-profit agency that adds value to communities. Speak to your representative at the City or County about protecting your part of the network with consistent funds. METRO gets 1% of sales tax to operate. BCycle Houston is a transportation agency that should get access to consistent funding, too.
Donate to BCycle Houston to support Houston’s biking community. Woodrow Wilson said, “I not only use all of the brains I have - I also use all of the brains I can borrow.” If you have limited cash, consider applying to sit on our Advisory Board or volunteering with us.
We’re not coasting. You, our riders, are who we aim to serve first, and in return, you’ve supported our efforts over the decade with meaningful impact. We’ve co-created a valuable bike share network with public, private, and community members that works. Help us continue to make Houston a leader in transportation options by advocating for additional funding and support for Houston BCycle.