JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson’s START bike-share program will be discontinued this summer after five years, following a unanimous vote by the Jackson Town Council on April 17.
The program, implemented in 2018, has 50 “Dash” bikes and 18 docking locations in town including one at the National Wildlife Art Museum.
Bruce Abel, START director, said that while the program will be discontinued this summer, discussions about the next bike program are already underway.
Abel said during the meeting that Microsoft is no longer going to support the Bcycle app as of September 15, which is required to use the bikes. Abel also noted that the bikes used for the program are already outdated. The current standard for bike shares is e-bikes, which START bikes are not.
“This was a known eventuality when the program was initiated, as e-bikes were not ready for mass use for public bike-share programs in 2018 (though they were on the horizon),” states the staff report.
Abel also noted that the sole employee from Friends of Pathways that managed the program recently accepted another job and there would not be enough time before summer to secure another employee or replace the outdated bikes.
According to the March 23 START Board staff report, START has provided $60,000 to $65,000 per year to operate the bike-share program between April 1 and Oct. 30. In the summer of 2022, revenue from the program totaled $19,519.
Data from START found that in 2022 there were 77 subscribers and 1,127 casual riders.
“Anecdotal comments and observations of the Bike Share Operator suggest that J-1 visa holders used the system regularly but that tourists have been the most numerous and primary user group,” states the staff report.
Between 2018 and 2022, a total of 16,581 trips were completed.
According to the Town Council staff report, selling the START bikes will bring in no more than $5,000 in revenue. Discontinuing the program will save the Town about $32,000 in the fiscal year 2023 budget. The 2024 fiscal year begins July 1.
