Madison BCycle transitioned its fleet in 2019 to electric bikes.
BCycle, the Trek-owned bike share company operating throughout the Madison area as well as some 30 other cities, will soon have a new owner: National bike share operator Bicycle Transit Systems, which operates bike share systems in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, among other markets, says in a statement today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire BCycle from Trek.
According to the statement, the deal is expected to close in October. With the acquisition of BCycle, Bicycle Transit System will become the “largest docked bike share provider in the U.S., by number of communities served,” according to PR Newswire. Bicycle Transit Systems will purchase BCycle systems in 10 cities across the U.S. as part of the acquisition.
Representatives from BCycle and Bicycle Transit Systems were not immediately available for comment.
Trek Bicycle Corporation is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin. BCycle bicycles launched in Madison in 2011 with 35 stations and 350 bicycles. In 2019, Madison’s BCycle transitioned to all-electric bikes. The bicycles are available at 90 stations — most of which are located on public sidewalks — throughout the Madison metro area.
Users use a phone app to access BCycles at these stations. The bicycle tracks the minutes a cyclist spends on the bicycle. To end a ride, users dock the bicycle back at a station and are charged for the total number of minutes they rode.
BCycle bicycles have become a valuable part of Madison’s transportation infrastructure. UW-Madison and Madison College discount BCycle passes for students and faculty, and the Madison Public Library system allows library users to check out a free week pass once per month.
The city of Madison has an operating agreement with BCycle — largely setting the conditions under which BCycle can operate on public property — that runs until December 2030. Under the agreement, Madison pays $1 annually toward BCycle’s operating expenses.
Dylan Brogan, city of Madison communications manager, says that the city does not expect any changes to its operating commitments with BCycle as a result of the acquisition.
