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Updated: August 9, 2022

Portland to launch long-awaited bike-share program in tandem with Michigan firm, local sponsors

hand holding a smart phone nexts to bike-share bike Courtesy / Tandem Mobility Tandem Mobility, of Grand Rapids, Mich., will launch Portland Bikeshare on Aug. 15, starting with 50 bikes and increasing to 200 after that.
By Renee Cordes

Portland aims to roll out a long-delayed bike-share program next week in tandem with Tandem Mobility, of Grand Rapids, Mich., the Maine Department of Transportation and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

The Aug. 15 start date comes a year after the city announced the selection of Tandem Mobility, which currently operates 27 turnkey bike-share programs across the United States and expects to be in over 30 markets by the end of this year.

The Portland program will start with 50 bikes, with more vehicles to be added over the following weeks for a 200-fleet total of 150 traditional geared bikes and 50 electric-assist bikes. The bikes will be staged at more than 40 parking hubs on the peninsula.

“We are pleased to be the exclusive health care sponsor of this inaugural bike-sharing program in the greater Portland area,” said Bill Whitmore, Harvard Pilgrim's Health Care's Maine market vice president.

"This initiative reinforces Harvard Pilgrim’s commitment to the health and well-being of all Maine communities, while offering access to an affordable, convenient and fun way to get around the city for residents and visitors alike. It’s also a fine example of a public-private partnership that connects and strengthens the entire community.” 

Harvard Pilgrim is a Canton, Mass.-based nonprofit health insurer. The other sponsor, Maine DOT, is "pleased to participate in sustainable, active transportation projects such as this," said Joyce Taylor, the department's chief engineer.

Portland has been looking at introducing a bike-share program for some time. 

City officials told Mainebiz on Tuesday that Portland had been seeking an operator that would not require its direct financial support, and issued three requests for proposals for an operator starting in 2019. The first two requests attracted only one response each, while a third call for proposals in 2021 elicited five responses, with the city selecting Tandem Mobility out of those.

Bruce Hyman, Portland's transportation program manager, said it then took Tandem Mobility several more months than anticipated to secure the needed sponsorships to make the program more financially sustainable and keep pricing affordable.

Sponsorship funding and other details

Kelli Hoyt-Rupert, Tandem Mobity's Boston-based CEO, told Mainebiz that the sponsorship required to operate the bike-share program is $350,000 a year, which will be provided by Harvard Pilgrim, the Maine DOT and several local businesses; Whitmore said that Harvard Pilgrim's share of the sponsorship is $100,000.

The $350,000 total does not cover the entire cost of operations, with the balance coming from expected rider revenue, Hoyt-Rupert explained.

"We think Portland is perfect for Bikeshare for several reasons," she said, citing the peninsula's population density "and a great combination of engaged local residents, university influence and tourism during peak months.

"Additionally, the support from the city, local organizations and businesses provide an environment with true local support and engagement, which is a strong indication of a successful bike share," she said. 

When the bike-share program goes live, users can access bike rentals, locations and instructions via Movatic, a mobility app that connects users with more than hundreds of operators of bikes, scooters and bike lockers.

While trips must start and end at designated parking hubs, which are identified in the app and by physical signage at each location, bikes may be temporarily locked to any bike rack during the rental. Geared cruiser bikes will cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute to use. Electric assist bikes will cost $2 to unlock and 30 cents a minute. A $14.99 monthly membership waives the unlock fees and provides a 50% discount on the per-minute rate.  

The move comes as docked bike-shares make a national comeback. While the number of systems in the United States nearly doubled from 2015 to 2019, that number declined from 104 in 2019 to 69 in 2021 as many systems closed permanently following a temporary halt during COVID, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Shared bike systems are also believed to have large public health benefits as quantified last year in a first-of-is-kind study by researchers at Colorado State University. They found that users of the mode save the national health care system an average of $36 million a year, even though many are located in dangerous, car-dependent cities.

The report also found that while bike-share users had a marginally higher risk of dying in traffic crashes or from pollution-related ailments compared to drivers or transit passengers, they had a much lower risk of succumbing to diseases related to physical activity than their inactive peers. 

Kevin Kraft, Portland's deputy director of planning and urban development, said the city is excited about the Tandem program's great potential. 

“The bike-share network is just one component of a vibrant multi-modal transportation system that serves residents, workers, and visitors in a healthy, fun way that continues to make our city more sustainable," he said.  "This program is a great example of Portland continuing to be the leader in making the city and region more sustainable.”

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