Why Are Some of Healthy Ride’s Bicycle Stations Vanishing in Pittsburgh?

It’s only temporary, and the company says it has big changes planned for 2022, including the addition of electric bikes to the fleet.

December 10, 2021

Ollie Gratzinger,

PHOTO BY RICHARD COOK

If you’re an avid cyclist, you may have noticed that some of Healthy Ride’s bike kiosks have vanished. But fear not — these changes are temporary, and Healthy Ride says they’re a prelude to bigger and better things.

On Monday, Mayor Bill Peduto, the Department of Mobility & Infrastructure and Healthy Ride announced the Pittsburgh Bike Share Electrification and Mobility Hubs Project, which will be part of Healthy Ride’s operational overhaul. Electric-assist bikes, or e-bikes, will be added to Healthy Ride’s fleet of traditional pedal bicycles, furthering alternative transit options in the city.

The program also includes racks fitted with docking hardware for scooters like the little orange Spin scooters that took the streets by storm over the summer. On-street charging stations will be available for e-bikes, too.

The United States Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program has awarded $900,000 for the project, according to a press release, and the City will be supporting the grant with an additional $225,000.

“Creating greater access to equitable mobility options has been a cornerstone of my administration,” Peduto said in the release. “Ensuring our residents have access to quality transportation creates greater opportunity for all citywide.”

The electric-assist bikes are part of Healthy Ride’s mission to launch an entirely new bikeshare system next year — and the removal of the 50 stations around the city will make room for this change and more.

While more than 50 stations will still remain, removed stations will be out of commission for 2022, according to a statement released on Healthy Ride’s website.

“We know this removal will not come without impact to our customers, but it is essential,” the company said in the release. “Our goal is to consistently expand year over year and bring back more stations to your neighborhood and connect new communities to the bikeshare network in Pittsburgh.”

All of the bicycles in the current fleet will be replaced next year, too, and functional bikes will be donated through the Recycle A Bicycle program. The program, while still in the planning stage, aims to donate all of the more-than-400 Healthy Ride bikes to organizations and groups that will find new homes for them with people who need them most.

They’re currently looking for people and organizations that can help rehome fleets of 10+ bikes, with a request form for single bikes to come later.

Below is a list of the stations that will be temporarily out of commission.

Bloomfield