“Three new stations and 15 new bicycles added to growing Zagster network”
Bikeshare by RIDE Solutions added three new stations to its growing bikeshare network. New 10-space stations were added in Roanoke’s Crystal Spring Village, at the Riverside campus housing Carilion Clinic and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, and at Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers just on the outskirts of downtown Roanoke.
“We are thrilled with the strength and rapid growth of our bikeshare network,” said director of RIDE Solutions Jeremy Holmes. “We are only five months into the program and have already surpassed our year one membership goals, and are delivering trips about twice the rate of the average Zagster community. This enthusiasm for the program has allowed us to engage sponsors and expand the network more quickly than we had anticipated.”
Bikeshare by RIDE Solutions is a partnership with Zagster, a bikeshare provider out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is based on a sponsorship model where the costs of starting and operating new stations are covered by community-minded local businesses. This most recent expansion is the result of sponsorship commitments by Hometown Bank for the Crystal Spring neighborhood station, and Soaring Ridge Craft Brewers for their on-site station. The Riverside station is sponsored by RIDE Solutions itself.
In addition to name recognition on the stations, the bikes, and within the Zagster app, sponsors can receive additional membership benefits, such as free or discounted membership for employees, customers, clients, and residents.
“Our goal is to double the system size in its first year of operation,” added Holmes. “With these three stations and three new stations planned for February of 2018, we are well on our way to meeting that goal. With the continued support of our sponsors and partners, we feel confident that the system will continue to grow both within the City of Roanoke as well as neighboring communities, like Salem and Vinton, and even nearby college campuses and other sites.”
To date, Bikeshare by RIDE Solutions has delivered 4,200 trips to over 1,600 members, making it one of the fastest-growing programs in the Zagster network. Riders can sign up at zagster.com/ridesolutions or download the Zagster app to their smartphone.
RIDE Solutions is a sustainable transportation program operated by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in cooperation with the New River Valley Planning District Commission, Region 2000, and the West Piedmont Workforce Investment Board. It provides multimodal trip planning services for citizens and employers throughout Central and Southwest Virginia.
