Bicycle sharing venture delayed in central Arkansas

A planned bike-sharing program set for Little Rock and North Little Rock likely won’t start until spring 2019, the president and chief executive officer of the operating company said.

Officials last spring announced that the program would likely begin in early 2018, but they still have not signed a contract on how the program will be run.

Officials involved in the negotiations have agreed on some details.

When it does launch, the program will have solar-powered bicycles, more than 200 bicycles in the downtown area and subsidized memberships for lower-income riders, Lindsey West, president and CEO of Bantam Strategy Group, told a crowd of people at the city of Little Rock’s ninth annual Sustainability Summit last week.

West showcased a sleek, black bicycle with a solar panel on top of the rack on the back wheel and one that made up the bottom of the basket on the front of the bike.

Attendees watched as West showed them the bike’s lights, loud bell and lock system.

The bike, which matches the type of ride that bike-sharing firm BCycle would manufacture for the cities, also has Bluetooth capability that would navigate riders toward destinations indicated on their own smartphones.

Riders would unlock the bikes using the program’s mobile app, a personalized key code or a membership card. Unlike programs in many other cities, the bike racks would not have similar technology.

The cities’ downtown areas would have 20-25 bike rack stations in the initial phase of the program, West and the cities have said. That may include the South Main district in Little Rock, Heifer International and the Capitol Mall.

Bantam would expand bikes and stations outside of the downtowns in subsequent phases.

Bantam will operate the bike-sharing program for five years, starting the day of launch. The company specializes in bike-sharing programs in small and medium-sized cities. They announced a program in Mobile, Ala., last week, run a program in Birmingham, Ala., and are trying to start one in Baton Rouge.

After those five years, Metroplan Executive Director Tab Townsell said, the plan is for the cities to take over ownership of the bicycles and decide who will operate the program.

Metroplan is the facilitator of the contract because it involves Little Rock and North Little Rock, but it will not operate the program.

West intends for the program to be supported by sponsorships and rider memberships, but the two cities may contribute to the first year or few years.

“Corporate sponsorships are very important to making it work,” West said.

Little Rock has offered to pay $45,000 each year for the first three years of operation, said John Landosky, the city bicycle pedestrian coordinator.

Once a contract is signed, Townsell said, West can reach official agreements with potential corporate sponsors.