Starting Monday, the City and County of Honolulu is officially taking over management of the Biki bikeshare system — marking a major change since its launch in 2017.
The city’s Department of Transportation Services made the announcement Friday, saying there would be no changes to Biki operations and that the transition would be seamless.
The transition comes as the bikeshare struggles to regain its ridership and recover from monetary losses suffered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bikeshare Hawaii launched Biki in June 2017 with $2 million in startup funds from the city and state, and an initial rollout of 100 Biki stops across urban Honolulu.
Bikeshare Hawaii, which was established as a nonprofit three years earlier in 2014, managed and marketed the system while Secure Bike Share Hawaii, a for-profit entity, ran customer service and day-to-day operations, including maintenance of the bikes.
DTS said riders should experience no changes in operations, system availability, Biki accounts or customer support. The gobiki.org Opens in a new tabwebsite will also remain operational.
“As Director of the Department of Transportation Services, I commend Bikeshare Hawaii and its uncompensated Board of Directors for their pioneering efforts in establishing Biki and for their diligent governance throughout its operation,” said Roger Morton in a news release. “Secure Bike Share will continue their effective and efficient operations and maintenance of the Biki Bikeshare system, as they have since (the) system opening in 2017.”
The bikeshare has had its share of ups and downs but at its two-year mark was ranked the sixth most-used system in the nation, a position it continues to hold today.
The system currently offers a fleet of 1,288 Biki bicycles at 136 self-service stations, or “Biki stops,” from Iwilei to Diamond Head.
Last year, the city said bicyclists logged nearly 800,000 Biki rides — 62% of them by local residents. The bikeshare has nearly 17,000 active members.
Todd Boulanger, executive director of Bikeshare Hawaii for the past six years, said in an email that this transition to the city had long been planned.
Boulanger will take a new position as a program specialist with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
“We are pleased that the City and County of Honolulu will continue Biki operations,” said Greg Gaug, Bikeshare Hawaii’s board chair. “With Biki’s proven ridership, there is opportunity for the city to expand the network and achieve greater coverage on Oahu. Biki is the sixth most-used bikeshare system in the country, illustrating how critical our kamaaina-based system is to Honolulu’s shared mobility.”
Just before the transition, Bikeshare Hawaii also raised some of its rates to shore up its operations, effective June 1.
For walk-up fares, a one-way ride up to 30 minutes increased from $4.50 to $5.
For resident Biki members, the Free Spirit membership rate offering 300 minutes over one year increased from $25 to $55.
The Commuter membership offering an unlimited number of 30-minute trips per month increased from $15 to $25; and the Voyager membership offering an unlimited number of 45-minute trips per month increased from $25 to $30.
Previously, the Voyager membership offered an unlimited number of 60-minute trips per month.
Any exceedance beyond time allotted in plans would be charged an additional $5.25 per half-hour, up from $5 per half-hour.
These membership revenues, Bikeshare Hawaii said, go to Secure Bike Share — which is not subsidized by the city — for daily operating expenses and maintenance of equipment plus taxes.
DTS permits Biki stations to use city properties such as metered parking stalls — which had been a point of contention in the past and the subject of a 2020 audit that estimated these exemptions resulted in a loss of $460,000 in annual revenue.
Prior to the pandemic, Boulanger also considered the addition of e-bikes to the Biki fleet to adapt to current trends and demands.
The transition to city oversight, DTS said, will better position the bikeshare for future expansion opportunities.
“DTS remains committed to the expansion of sustainable micromobility options for all of Oahu, assuring our island’s residents and visitors that Biki will remain a component of our multimodal transit options,” said DTS in a news release. “DTS plans to deploy future federal funding towards the acquisition of replacement bicycles and docks to continue our support of Biki and provide affordable, efficient, and healthy ways for our residents and visitors to move around Honolulu.”
