Indiana Pacers Bikeshare, also known as Pacers Bikeshare, is a public
bicycle-sharing system
A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost.
The programmes themselves include bot ...
in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. The service is operated by
BCycle, a public bicycle-sharing company owned by
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Trek Bicycle Corporation is a bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Electra Bicycle Company, Bontrager, and Diamant Bikes. The company has previously manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond Rac ...
. The system launched in April 2014 with 250 bikes and 25 docking stations
and has since expanded to 525 bikes and 50 stations.
The service is available to users
24/7
In commerce and industry, 24/7 or 24-7 service (usually pronounced "twenty-four seven") is service that is available at any time and usually, every day. An alternate orthography for the numerical part includes 24×7 (usually pronounced "twenty ...
year-round. Pacers Bikeshare is owned by and managed as a program of the
Indianapolis Cultural Trail.
History
Pacers Bikeshare launched on April 22, 2014, with 25 docking stations and 250 bicycles centered on or near the
Indianapolis Cultural Trail in the vicinity of
downtown Indianapolis
Downtown Indianapolis is a neighborhood area and the central business district of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Downtown is bordered by Interstate 65, Interstate 70, and the White River, and is situated near the geographic center of ...
. Initial startup and maintenance costs were provided by the Herbert Simon Family Foundation.
Herbert Simon is chairman emeritus of
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in Indian ...
and owner of the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
. At the time of its launch, the system was the only bike-share service in the U.S. sponsored by a professional sports franchise. The
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
's (FHWA) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program granted an additional $1 million.
In its first year, Pacers Bikeshare sold 28,206 one-day passes and 1,581 annual passes with users logging more than 108,000 trips for a total distance of . The program was considered a success by officials. An additional docking station was installed at
OneAmerica Tower
The OneAmerica Tower, formerly AUL Tower, is a 38-story building at 200 North Illinois Street in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. It is used by various companies for offices. The building opened in 1982 and is faced with Indiana limestone. From ...
on December 2, 2015.
In its second year, annual membership had grown to 2,878 with users logging more than 117,000 trips for a total distance of . In 2016, Pacers Bikeshare began information sharing
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
tracking data with academic researchers at
IUPUI to understand trends useful to the fields of public health and tourism management. The system added two docking stations and 26 bikes in October 2016.
Officials announced the system's first major expansion on May 15, 2018. A second $960,000 CMAQ grant from FHWA and $240,000 gift from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation and an unnamed private donor funded the expansion.
Indianapolis Cultural Trail, Inc. solicited input on docking station placement at public meetings, farmer's markets, library branches, and online, largely siting docking stations near popular attractions and close proximity to existing pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit infrastructure. The expansion, completed on September 5, 2019, nearly doubled available bikes and docking stations.
In November 2019, Indianapolis-based health insurer
Anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
donated $1 million to support the system's programs and ongoing maintenance.
Payment
![Canal Towpath at Newfields Indiana Pacers Bikeshare station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Canal_Towpath_at_Newfields_Indiana_Pacers_Bikeshare_station.jpg)
At the system's launch, bikes could be accessed by purchasing either a 24-hour pass for $8 or an annual membership for $80. Passes provided riders with unlimited 30-minute trips, with trips lasting longer than 30 minutes incurring overage fees of $2 for 30-60 minutes and $4 for each additional 30 minutes.
Since 2014, the system has offered a discounted membership option for people of limited means called EveryBody Rides. Until 2020, qualifying individuals were entitled to $10 annual memberships.
Beginning February 1, 2020, the EveryBody Rides program transitioned to a monthly $5 pass with unlimited 60-minute trips.
In May 2019, Pacers Bikeshare introduced a new simplified pricing structure to remain competitive with the emergence of
scooter-sharing systems in the city. The pay-as-you-ride model eliminated daily and monthly passes, allowing walk-up users to pay a $1 fee plus $.15 per minute, regardless of ride duration. The $80 annual pass for unlimited trips of 30 minutes or less remained unchanged until February 1, 2020, when annual membership prices increased to $125 including unlimited 60-minute trips.
The BCycle
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
launched in April 2017, allowing users to view available bikes, reserve rides, and map routes from their smartphones.
Promotions
Since 2016, Pacers Bikeshare has provided free service to users on September 22 in observance of
International Car Free Day, promoted locally as "Car Free Day Indy".
Pacers Bikeshare, in partnership with the City of Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, promotes 30-minute free rides on Ozone Action Days (locally referred to as "Knozone Action Days") as an alternative transportation option to reduce
ground level ozone
Ground-level ozone (O3), also known as surface-level ozone and tropospheric ozone, is a trace gas in the troposphere (the lowest level of the atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere), with an average concentration of 20–30 parts per billion by v ...
during times of poor air quality.
To celebrate the system's expansion, Pacers Bikeshare suspended user fees on September 5-6, 2019.
On
Election Day
Election day or polling day is the day on which general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Saturday or Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate; while in other countries elections ar ...
, November 3, 2020, Pacers Bikeshare services were free to the public to encourage voter turnout. Over the years, corporate sponsors, such as
UST UST or Ust may refer to:
Organizations
* UST (company), American digital technology company
* Equatorial Guinea Workers' Union
* Union of Trade Unions of Chad (Union des Syndicats du Tchad)
* United States Television Manufacturing Corp.
* UST Gr ...
and
Indiana University Health
Indiana University Health, formerly known as Clarian Health Partners, is a nonprofit healthcare system located in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Indiana, with 16 hospitals under its IU He ...
, have subsidized the cost of free rides for limited periods of time as marketing opportunities.
See also
*
List of bicycle-sharing systems
This is a list of bicycle-sharing systems, both docked and dockless. As of December 2016, roughly 1000 cities worldwide have bike-sharing programs.[Transportation in Indianapolis
Transportation in Indianapolis consists of a complex network that includes a local public bus system, several private intercity bus providers, Amtrak passenger rail service, four freight rail lines, an Interstate Highway System, two airports, a he ...]
References
External links
*
{{Indiana Pacers
Bicycle sharing in the United States
Organizations based in Indianapolis
Transportation in Indianapolis
2014 establishments in Indiana
Cycling in Indiana