Santa Cruz’s BCycle program not working for all riders
Briana Mathaw
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION-TV) — BCyle, Santa Cruz County’s bicycle share program, is now facing criticism from some, riders saying its too expensive, hard to find, and not reliable.
From missing bikes to broken stations, some users say BCycle has become more hassle than help.
“It just doesn’t seem all that accessible for your average person, and even when people do access it, it is expensive and faulty,” said rider and BCycle user Dylan Woodman Hobbs.
Technical problems are also creating delays, leaving riders stuck at docks, sometimes with no working bikes at all.
“It was just outrageous… we were sitting there at the dock for a fat minute,” said Hobbs. “We were lucky, actually. One of the employees was coming by checking on the docks and having regular maintenance, and they got it out for us.”
Other users remember when BCycle worked well…
“They’re great,” said another BCycle user Michael Joshua Fox-Kent. “It was like a $30 a month and at the time I didn’t have a vehicle, and they were everywhere.”
Lately, riders say that some stations have disappeared. And, they say, the rules and fines can feel overly strict.
“It’s the fines for not returning it; that’s expensive,” said Fox-Kent. “They don’t retrieve the bikes. Like, if I can’t get it to a docking station and I just have to dip it somewhere.”
Tiffany Martinez, the departmental communications officer for Santa Cruz County, says there are reasons behind all of the program’s changes.
“We previously had a contract with BCycles when it was owned by Trek, but last year it was actually acquired by Bicycle Transit Systems, and with that we did have amendments to the contract that we had with BCycles,” said Martinez.
She’s hoping that with some of these changes will come upgrades.
“[Riders will] see some fee updates, and that reflects the overall investment to ensure the longevity and viability of this program for our county,” she said.
New stations are still in the works for unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County, with more on the way, according to Martinez.
“We were supposed to install docking stations and bicycles in areas like Carlitos and more in south county [but] we never finished that,” she said. “At this time, we’re looking at potential docking stations on locations for bicycles in high density areas in the county where people may need to use them.”
Now the question remains: will the county see these new docking stations, and if so, when?
The county says although there is not an exact timeline yet, plans are active. Planners are still identifying key areas and working with the new bicycle operator to bring stations where riders say they need them the most.