By John Spina Jackson Hole Daily
START and Friends of Pathways announced Thursday that the Jackson Bike Share Program will reopen for the summer Tuesday.
To kick off the season, a group of riders and local officials will meet in Town Square at noon Tuesday to listen to a brief set of remarks and enjoy a short ride on the new state-of-the-art Trek bikes.
“This bike-share program will provide an additional healthy and environmentally sensitive way for residents, commuters and visitors to move in and around our town,” Mayor Pete Muldoon said. “These shared bicycles will improve connectivity while reducing traffic congestion.”
As part of a pilot program last year that used 18 bikes at 12 hubs, the program accumulated 250 members who took more than 4,000 rides from July 21 to Sept 22.
With a fleet of 55 brand-new bikes and the potential for 17 hubs this summer, Friends of Pathways and START hope to see a drastic increase in ridership.
“Bike Share is a low-cost way to provide more mobility while improving the quality of life in Jackson,” said Katherine Dowson, executive director of Friends of Pathways. “Our community is ideal for cycling, and more people are choosing to bike to their destination. We’re excited to give more people access to bikes for errands, going out to dinner and other short trips in town.”
Starting Tuesday, riders can purchase a membership online or using the BCycle app, where they will also be able to access trip history and ride data. Riders can check out bikes directly from the BCycle mobile app, using a START Bike membership card or a user ID and PIN.
An annual pass, which allows unlimited 30-minute rides with a fee of $1.50 for each additional 15 minutes, is available for $50. A Founder’s Pass, which includes unlimited 60-minute rides and allows riders to leave their bikes outside of the hubs with no fee, is available for $90, though a limited number are available.
A single-day pass, which allows unlimited 30-minute rides with a fee of $1.50 for each additional 15 minutes, costs $8.
A three-day pass with the same allowances is available for $20.
Information, including an interactive map showing how many bikes are at each hub, can be found at www.StartBikeJH.com