BikeShare Hawaii to add 40 Biki docking stations

Honolulu’s controversial bike share program is expanding.

BikeShare Hawaii plans to add about 40 new Biki docking stations to its existing 100 this year. The new stations are expected to displace one to two parking stalls in total, BikeShare officials said.

The public is invited to review the proposed docking stations on BikeShare’s website, gobiki.org.

“We’re looking to expand this year to serve more people,” said BikeShare CEO Lori McCarney, adding that the number of new stations added will depend on what can be purchased with the $1.8 million in federal funds BikeShare is receiving and $454,800 it has raised in donations.

The city originally funded Biki with a $1 million grant. The state added another $1 million from its tobacco fund, money given to the state by tobacco companies to compensate for some of the costs of caring for persons with smoking-related illnesses.

The city also provided use of its streets and sidewalks for Biki docking stations.

Thus far, 54 parking stalls have been turned into 100 Biki docking stations, the city said. Current stations range in capacity from 15 bikes to 55.

BikeShare said Biki logged 800,000 rides in its first year.

McCarney said BikeShare plans to do more community outreach before deciding the location of new docking stations.

Kelvin Tjia, who heads the company that operates Biki, said the expansion won’t begin until sometime later this year.

Honolulu County Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi, who represents Kaimuki and Makiki, said constituents have complained about docking stations on city streets.

“I don’t mind the use of sidewalks, but I don’t like when they take away parking spaces, especially in areas when parking is so tight,” Kobayashi said. She has complained about the docking stations taking up valuable space that had been used for vehicle drop-offs and pickups in front of the Pagoda Hotel and the Grand Pacific Condominium on Amana Street.

“It’s just not fair and they’re not paying anything to the city for the use of city property,” she said.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said his administration approves of the location for docking stations with input from the Department of Transportation Services. The City Council does not have input on the decision-making.

“We send the administration and Biki our complaints, but nobody’s listening,” Kobayashi said. Even though BikeShare Hawaii has attended neighborhood board meetings, no one has acted on the suggestions, she said.

While BikeShare Hawaii, which manages Biki, is a nonprofit, Secure Bike Share, part of a for-profit company based in Australia, runs the day-to-day operations of Biki. It has purchased millions of dollars in bikes and docking stations, services them and runs a local call center, said Tjia, CEO of Secure Bike Share.

Tjia said most municipalities subsidize bike share programs. Whether or not Biki will be able to run profitably, “that’s the million- dollar question,” Tjia said.

“It’s a challenging thing,” Tjia said, adding that it’s “not very lucrative. … We’re still pursuing that dream of being financially sustainable. A lot of other cities place the risk on taxpayers.”

“I can tell you we’re not making that much money,” he said.

Caldwell said docking stations are not permanent and can be “moved and tweaked,” but having bikes near a location means fewer cars used to get there.

McCarney, who leaves her post as CEO on Oct. 31, said the community outreach by BikeShare officials regarding the expansion of docking stations will help the public better understand the Biki concept. Prior to the initial June 2017 rollout, “people didn’t know what we were talking about,” she said.

Diamond Head resident and regular Biki user John Harris, 63, is one community member who has embraced the concept. Harris, who was invited to Biki’s first birthday event on June 28, said he replaced his car with Biki bikes. He last used his car for work on Jan. 2, and logs 200 miles a month on Biki.

Visit gobiki.org for a list of proposed sites within the following neighborhoods: Kalihi/Iwilei, Makiki, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Waikiki, downtown/Chinatown, Ala Moana/Kakaako, McCully/Moiliili and Diamond Head/Kapiolani Community College.