The mid-June launch target for Vancouver’s Mobi bike share program has come and gone, so where are all the bikes?
Earlier this year, the city said Mobi would go into its first phase this month with 1,000 bikes and 100 stations, then expand to 1,500 bikes and 150 stations by fall.
Asked about the delay this week, Mayor Gregor Robertson assured the company behind the program, Vancouver Bike Share Inc., is gearing up for its rollout.
“Many of the bikes are here, the stations are here and being assembled,” Robertson said.
“We expect in the next few weeks to start seeing the Mobi stations and bikes popping up in the downtown core and then we’ll see that system grow through summer.”
NPA Coun. George Affleck said the unexplained delay is just the latest in a long line of issues bringing bike sharing to Vancouver. An earlier foray with Bixi Bikes was halted in 2014 over that company’s financial woes.
“This whole bike share program has had a lot of stops and starts, a lot of dissatisfaction with the process, and this is another hiccup in the process,” Affleck said.
The new company is a subsidiary of U.S.-based CycleHop, which already runs bike share systems in several other cities, including Ottawa, Phoenix, Tampa and Orlando.
Affleck said he supports the idea of bike sharing in Vancouver, but believes it should have been left to the private sector.
“Given that we’re now several years into the process and still waiting for launch, it shows that government really shouldn’t be getting into business. It’s not really what we’re good at,” he said.
To get Mobi rolling, Vancouver has paid $5 million for five years of operation and put up $1 million in startup funding. It will also contribute an estimated $500,000 in annual costs.
In return, the city will be receiving a cut of the program’s revenue.
Membership fees range from $180 to $240, though early adopters can pay a discounted price of $99 to $129 if they sign up by June 30.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst
