Once hailed as an answer to both traffic jams and global warming, Seattle’s troubled bike-sharing system, Pronto, is now slated for dismantling, city officials say.
After less than three years, and despite millions of tax dollars being dumped into the program, public bike-sharing system Pronto is slated to ground its 500-bike fleet this week,according to the Seattle Times.
The program has been a boondoggle since its $2.5 million launch in 2014, a price tag that included $1.75 million in state and federal funding. In addition, Alaska Airlines sunk $2.5 million into the system for a five-year advertising sponsorship.
Despite the glowing proclamations of politicians and the promises of the private partners in the project, the bike-sharing system was never a hit with the people of Seattle.
The program faced several problems, including a controversy over forcing riders to wear helmets, a law many felt would help kill Pronto. The helmet requirement forced the bike-sharing system to purchase hundreds of helmets and create a vending system to allow riders access, all at a heavy cost to the system.
The bike-sharing program almost immediately ran into financial trouble, and by 2016, operators said that if the city did not buy out the private interests for $1.4 million, Pronto would be forced to close.
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7 comments:
Hello Salisbury officials - You need to read this article!!!
Liberals only want to share other peoples stuff.
Save the environment by raising taxes and making private company millions in profits that are not environmentally friendly. How do you think 500 bikes got here?, by trained eagles? The helmets were made where? How much energy is used to make another environment friendly program that fails... BTW it's fake. Polar bears are ok and Al Gore drives SUVs,flys on biggest jets made and owns vacation mansions on the OCEAN... Obama has 12 homes small arm of SUVs and flys private jets in state. We are ok.
Utopia in the minds of liberals always fails
I wonder how much the C-Suite of the company made off of this fiasco? Do they have to pay any of the money back?
I'm SURE they MEANT WELL
Seattle and bike sharing/riding. Hmmmm doesn't it rain every other day in Seattle?
Nice try folks, your participation trophy is in the back room!
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