Zagster, the company operating the Pace bikes, announced that they are leaving Bloomington by May 15. The company says that the electric scooters have been cutting into there revenue causing them to decide to move out of the city.
IU Bloomington is not the only campus experiencing a decrease in bike-share usage on campus. An article from the Daily Bruins, a student newspaper of the University of California Los Angeles, says that UCLA experienced a 20 percent decrease in bike-share usage after electric scooters were introduced.
Alex Crowley, the director of the economic and sustainable development department for Bloomington, says Zagster originally asked the city to leave sooner. The Pace bikes were on a three-year contract. If the bikes left earlier, they would have owed $8,500 to the city. Crowley says that the city offered to forgive the fees if the bikes stayed till the end of the semester. “It would be fairly disruptive if people were counting on the bikes and suddenly they were gone,” Crowley said. Crowley says that Zagster will pay all of the costs related in removing the bikes and bike racks in the city.
Crowley says that the city is currently looking into other bike-sharing companies to replace Pace bikes. He says that paddle-assist bikes and electric bikes are also an option. However, Crowley says that they haven’t requested or received a proposal from any bike-sharing company yet.
Crowley says that it is important to have a public transportation system where other options can support each other. “How I think the systems works in the end is that rather looking at one for one but looking at the system as a whole, and make sure it is mutually supportive.”
Some students are disappointed in Zagster’s decision to move out of the city. Andrew Krieg, an IU senior, says that he enjoyed the Pace bikes more than scooters because of the physical exercise and is disappointed that they will be leaving soon. “Riding a bike isn’t quite as exciting maybe, but some people like the bikes more I’m sure,” Krieg said.