Madison B-cycle, the city’s bike sharing system, saw record ridership in 2014. According to Madison B-cycle’s 2014 Annual Report, out today, ridership increased by 28% over 2013. B-cycle closed their fourth season with 104,274 total trips and 39 stations in operation. More than 315 signature red bikes covered over 219,000 miles throughout the city from March 20 through December 11, 2014.

Read the full 2014 Madison B-cycle Annual Report here.

"Reaching 100,000 trips was a big milestone," said Manager, Claire Hurley. "Closing the season with over 104,000 trips is a big accomplishment for the program and for the City. Most programs our size don't see that much traffic in one year." 

"It is really encouraging to see the growth in B-cycle year after year in Madison," said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. "Bike sharing is being used by visitors able to see more of the city and by residents using the system for daily commutes. The program is helping folks get exercise and reducing traffic, a win-win!"

63% of trips in 2014 were made by annual members, most of whom are Madison residents. As in prior years, peak ridership continues to match commuter hours - 12:00-12:15pm and 4:45-5:15pm peak ride times - suggesting a regular reliance on B-cycle by users.

Madison B-cycle launched a new subscription type in 2014 where customers can pay a small fee monthly (think Netflix for bike share). Monthly auto-renew membership grants users all the benefits of annual membership with a smaller up-front cost. Sales, system data, and user surveys demonstrate a clear and growing dependence on Madison B-cycle for both transportation and recreation throughout the community. 

"The community support for the program has grown considerably over the last four years," said Hurley. "The addition of stations along University Avenue and the increased commuter traffic we saw in 2014 reinforce that bike sharing is an essential transportation option in Madison."

In partnership with UW Health, UW Credit Union and Krupp General Contractors, Madison B-cycle added four new stations to the bike sharing system in 2014.  The new stations connect the existing network to the near-west side of Madison, including locations at UW Health facilities and the UW Credit Union.

Madison B-cycle will reopen in March 2015 following their winter closure.

Last week, Bikesantiago installed B-cycle's largest station to date (31 docks) at the base of Costanera Center, the tallest building in South America.  Attendees at the inauguration of the system launching in Providencia - one of Santiago's hippest and most bike friendly communities - included the Metropolitan Mayor, the Mayor of Providencia and Chile's Banco Itaú Regional Manager. 

See below for the full press release. 

The service will be part of the Bikesantiago network, which includes 13 other communities

Providencia will have a new public bike system starting December 10

• High standard bikes, automated stations, accident insurance, extended hours, GPS monitoring and access to the most modern intercommunity network of sustainable transportation in South America are some of the benefits that complement the new public bike system for Providencia, which was presented today by the Mayor Josefa Errázuriz. 

• Bikesantiago will launch in Providencia on December 10 with 180 bikes and 18 stations, which will be progressively extended to complete 600 bicycles and 40 stations during 2015.

This is a strong impetus to sustainable mobility for the community of Providencia beginning on December 10, when the new public bike system begins operation, a modern service will be integrated with 13 other communities of the Metropolitan Region and will allow its users to access the high standard bicycles, save time and money on the road, improve their quality of life, care for the environment and contribute to the decongestion of automobile traffic in the city.

This important change was announced by the Mayor of Providencia, Josefa Errazuriz, together with Alejandro Powell, CEO of Bcycle Latam, operator of Bikesantiago; and Boris Buvinic, General Manager of Banco Itaú, sponsor of Bikesantiago, who presented the first station that is implemented in the community, located at the Costanera Center mall, steps from the Tobalaba subway station.

"From Providencia we want to build a better coexistence and contribute to a more sustainable society, with healthier citizens. And this only is possible if we favor public transport, pedestrians and the bicycle”, said Mayor Josefa Errázuriz, proposing the need to think about these kinds of public policies at the Metropolitan level. "I am convinced that we need more inter-communal and metropolitan solutions, especially in regards to the direction of metropolitan transportation," said the community leader.

The general manager of Banco Itaú, Boris Buvinic, added that being part of this project aims to "promote the bicycle as a means of sustainable transport for the benefit of the community, contributing to improve the quality of life and make a more friendly and less polluted city of Santiago. With the launch of today, Bikesantiago is consolidated as a system of intercommunity transport, open to all persons who wish to use it and to which we hope to add more and more communities".

For his part, Alejandro Powell explained that Providencia joins the network of Bikesantiago which was inaugurated in October 2013 - already operating in Vitacura and Lo Barnechea - and ensures the same standard of quality and technology for all the inhabitants of the capital. "This is a public-private initiative that directly aims to deliver real benefit to all Santiagans, without distinction. We are convinced that riding a bike can positively change people's lives and with Bikesantiago all have at their reach the most efficient, safe, economical, and sustainable form of urban transport in the world. Together we are pedaling forward to help make the city that we desire a reality", stressed the CEO of Bcycle Latam.

Inter-communal network

In its first phase the new public bike system of Providencia will launch with 180 bikes and 18 stations, which will increase in the coming months to reach 600 bicycles and 40 stations by May of 2015. In total, the system will have 2,100 bicycles and 200 automated, solar-powered stations. It will operate 365 days a year, from 6.30 a.m. to 11 pm, which implies an important improvement over the current system [of public bicycles], which only ran Monday through Friday until 9 p.m., and Saturdays until 2 p.m., leaving users no service on Sundays and public holidays.

To use the service, it is not necessary to be a resident of Providencia: you only have to be 14 years of age or older to enroll at www.bikesantiago.cl, and opt for one of the available memberships starting at $4,990 Chilean Pesos a month. You can pay with a credit card from any bank, Rut or electronic transfer account, which includes a unique accident insurance and entitles you to unlimited travel, in lengths of up to 30 minutes each checkout.

The bicycles are of high standard and are equipped with three gears, internal brakes, Kevlar tires, LED lights and real-time GPS monitoring. The communities of Vitacura, Lo Barnechea, Providencia, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Macul, San Joaquín, La Florida, Lo Prado, Estación Central, Recoleta, Independencia, San Miguel, and Maipú will be united during 2015 with inter-communal Bikesantiago public bikeshare system.

The Mayor Josefa Errázuriz made an open invitation to those who live, study or work in Providencia "to utilize this new public bike system for a new perspective of the city and to contribute to the decongestion of our streets with a more sustainable transportation option and a healthier lifestyle". 

Contacts:
Cecilia Vargas Sánchez
Chief of Press Municipality of Providencia
Mobile   +56966170428
Email: ceciliavargas@providencia.cl

Daniel Trujillo Rivas
Manager of Communications and Marketing Bcycle LATAM
Mobile    +569 67106995
Email:     dtrujillo@bcyclelatam.com

From left: Alejandro Powell - CEO of Bcycle LATAM; Claudio Orrego - Superintendent for the Metropolitan Region; Josefa Errázuriz - Mayor of Providencia; Álvaro Wrobbel -Regional Director of Banco Itaú Chile.

From Boulder B-cycle's Twitter: The weight limit for B-cycle baskets is 20 pounds. That's a pretty big free-range t(of)urkey for Thanksgiving! 

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley with a B-cycle bike.

Yesterday the B-cycle demo team was in Dayton, OH for the Downtown Dayton Partnership Annual Meeting.  The event showcased the great progress Dayton has made in recent years and the exciting things coming down the pipeline. 

In partnership with the Downtown Dayton Partnership, Bike Miami Valley, Greater Dayton RTA, and more, we offered a sneak peak of what is coming to Dayton in spring 2015.  The demo station was set up, giving attendees a first-hand look and feel for the system.  It was great seeing Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and many great people from the Dayton community take a spin on the bikes.

We’re looking forward to welcoming Dayton to the B-cycle family of more than 40 cities! 

B-cycle On! 

Demo set up at the Downtown Dayton Partnership Annual Meeting

We recently held our inaugural operators' conference, and it was a blast!  B-cycle World 2014 brought together B-cycle operators and staff from around the country and Santiago, Chile to our headquarters in Wisconsin.  The conference provided B-cycle staff the opportunity to announce new products and services and share best practices and tips for success.  It also gave operators the chance to meet other operators, grow a stronger network with other B-cycle cities, and get face-to-face interaction with many on the B-cycle staff they email and call often.  From the entire B-cycle staff, it was amazing meeting all of the operators and chatting over some Wisconsin beer.  Congrats to JD Simpson from Austin B-cycle for winning the B-cycle trivia contest!  

As the above picture shows, we have a large family!  The phenomenal growth of B-cycle since 2010 is a testament to our great operators. We look forward to putting on an even better B-cycle World for 2015!