Bye bye bikes

Bike-sharing program, though a success, ends in Conway

Dozens of bicycles were donated to the city of Conway when Zagster went out of business and ended its on-demand bike-sharing program. “They went defunct,” said Steve Ibbotson, director of Conway Parks and Recreation. The program was unveiled in May 2017 in Conway.

“About the time that we were going to start looking at a renewal (in 2020), we found out that wasn’t going to be something that [Zagster] did,” Ibbotson said.

Zagster, the firm that provided a free mobile app to rent the bicycles, shut down most of its bike shares permanently in June 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company’s former website. The Massachusetts-based business later dissolved.

A third party that leased the bicycles donated them to the city, Ibbotson said. “Once all that paperwork got taken care of, we went and got them all, and they weren’t in that great of a shape.”

Ibbotson said the bicycles were initially maintained by The Ride in Conway, a full-service bicycle shop. However, once Zagster shut down the program and the bicycles couldn’t be unlocked, Ibbotson said, “vandalism was done” to many of them.

Finley Vinson, city engineer and transportation department director, helped launch the bike-share program. He said he also acquired many of the bicycles when the program ended.

He said Erik Leamon, owner of The Ride, repaired the bicycles, using parts salvaged from the damaged ones to fix others.

“He donated hours of time to servicing the bikes to make them ridable so we could donate more of them,” Vinson said.

“I had dozens of them, and I gave them away to three nonprofit entities in Conway,” he said. The bicycles were donated to Bethlehem House, City of Hope Outreach and The Ministry Center.

Judi Lively, executive director of Bethlehem House, said the donation was appreciated by residents of the transitional homeless shelter in downtown Conway. Bicycles that the shelter had were “falling apart,” she said.

“[The bicycles are] definitely

being used,” Lively said. “We have one single dad with kids, and he uses one of those bikes, and the four of them go riding to the park or wherever.”

When the city unveiled the program, Mayor Bart Castleberry hailed it as a perfect fit for Conway, which has a bikefriendly designation from the League of American Bicyclists. The program, which didn’t require human interaction, was touted as the first of its kind in Arkansas. A singleuse code opened a lock box on the back of each bicycle.

Former Mayor Tab Townsell brought the idea to the Conway City Council after seeing such programs in larger cities, and he researched the idea.

The City Council approved a three-year agreement with Zagster for $36,000 per year, or $108,000 total. Baptist Health was the presenting sponsor and pledged $60,000 — $20,000 a year for three years — to the project. The remainder of the contract was paid for with Advertising and Promotion funds.

As part of the agreement, the city collected 93 percent of all proceeds from rentals, and Zagster received 7 percent for transaction fees.

Ibbotson said the city received $9,000 from the program, which went into the general fund.

Tim Bowen, president of Baptist Health Medical CenterConway, said the sponsorship occurred before he was hired, “but from what I know about the program, it was a good partnership.”

“We are always looking for ways to improve the health of the communities we serve,” he said. “Conway has done a great job building an infrastructure to support healthy living, and we look to support that effort any way we can.”

Castleberry said he and his wife “spend a lot of time” on the bicycle paths, and they saw people on the rental bicycles, as well as riding them on city streets.

“One lady didn’t have a car, and the place where she worked would rent hers a month at a time,” he said. “I

think [the program] was successful. … It was good for Conway and good for citizens of Conway.

“We’ve talked about getting into it ourselves. I’ve talked about it, but I haven’t moved on it. It’s something I’d like to see come back in Conway.”

Vinson, who called the city’s discussions “preliminary,” echoed Castleberry that the bike-share program was successful.

“COVID just did the company in,” Vinson said.

Lori Ross of Conway, an avid cyclist and a member of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, said the program was positive for Conway.

“Anytime we can have resources like that available for the public, it just makes Conway a more friendly city to live in and get around in,” she said.

In the beginning, a total of 20 cruiser bikes were available for rent at five locations in Conway, but “[the University of Central Arkansas] signed on for an additional 30 [bicycles],” Vinson said. “At least

two more” bike stations were added after that, he said.

Trips lasting under an hour were free. Other member options, paid for with a credit card, were $2 an hour, $15 a month or $30 a year. Students, staff and faculty of UCA, Hendrix College and Central Baptist College, all in Conway, could join for $20 per year.

UCA was the only one of those institutions that had a contract with Zagster, and it was a separate contract from the city’s, Vinson said.

“They were different contracts, but all part of the same system,” he said.

University of Central Arkansas online financial records show that UCA paid Zagster $72,000 over two years.

Mya Hall, executive president of the UCA Student Government Association, said her predecessor was involved in the contract, but the company collected the bicycles from campus when the program ended.

A letter from Zagster was posted on the SGA website last year.

In part, the company wrote:

“The effects of COVID-19 on our communities have been tragic. Sadly, the pandemic has also impacted Zagster’s business, and it is with heavy hearts that we must inform you that Zagster will no longer be providing bike-share services in your community. This was a difficult decision but a necessary one, for which we are truly sorry. … We can’t thank you enough for your partnership. You have been at the forefront of micromobility, advocating for sustainable transport options well before it was commonplace across the country.”

Although COVID-19 may have ended Zagster’s bike-sharing business, it might have prompted people to start pedaling. Ibbotson said that when people started to self-quarantine during the pandemic, the outdoors is one place many felt safe.

“I think that [COVID] prompted a lot of people to go out and buy bikes. We saw a lot of activity on our trails,” he said.