RVA Bike Share shuts down
Free Press staff report | 5/25/2023, 6 p.m.
Richmond’s bike share program shut down abruptly Monday after the Canadian operator, Bewegen Technologies, ended ser- vice, according to a city statement.
There are now 22 stations across the city where people can check out a bike for a fee, with most of the cycles coming with electric motors. All of the bikes are locked and unusable, the city reported.
In the statement, the city said that a new operator is now being sought for the RVA Bike Share program, and that a month of free rides would be offered once Bewegen is replaced.
Richmond is not alone in experiencing difficulties with Bewegen. In April, bike service was suspended n Raleigh, N.C., when the company halted service. And Baltimore ended a trouble-plagued program operated by Bewegen.
RVA Bike Share started service in August 2017 with 17 stations and was later expanded in a second phase. The bikes at first were all pedal and then were mostly replaced with Bewegen’s electric bikes.
The program initially started with federal funding. According to the bike program’s internal financial reports, the program has broken even for the past several years and has not needed any city subsidy to support operations.
