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How will you use Seattle’s new Alaska Airlines-sponsored Pronto! bikes?

bike_with_P_alaskaThe Puget Sound Bike Share is scheduled for a mostly on time arrival serving Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Downtown and the U-District starting this September. A key component of the new system was unveiled Monday — the major brand sponsor for the bike share will be Alaska Airlines, program officials announced.

The new branding for the program is the Pronto! Emerald City Cycle Share. The $2.5 million, five-year sponsorship announcement is a major milestone for the share that has hit a bump or two along the way before picking up steam this spring. Group Health will also gear up to sponsor 15 of the share’s bike stations on Capitol Hill and in SoLu.

The new system will begin with 500 bikes. Each station will have docks for 12 to 20 bikes and will feature a kiosk where non-members can sign up for 24-hour, or multiday passes, and or access bikes using a code. Those who pay $85 for an annual membership will be able to bypass the kiosk and check bikes out directly from their docks. In order for PSBS to operate in compliance with Washington State helmet laws, each station will also have a “helmet dispensing” device, and a helmet return bin. Helmets will be available to rent for $2, will be sanitized after each use, and cycled out after a certain number of uses. Final station locations have not yet been announced. A 24-hour pass will cost $8 or you can three days for $16.

The program is planned to eventually roll out throughout the county — here’s how director Holly Houser explained it to CHS last year:

Houser believes a rollout that would include Capitol Hill will plant the seed for further expansion of the program throughout the city and region. If there were enough funds available, and enough demand for the system, Houser says PSBS’s would “launch phase 1b or 2” within twelve months of the initial launch, bringing bike share to Westlake, Fremont, Wallingford, the Central District, and possibly Ballard. From there, the program would “keep expanding outward,” with later phases bringing the system to Kirkland, Redmond, Bellevue, and the Microsoft Campus, she said. Some of those farther flung location would not be connected to other parts of the system, however. “It would be kind of cost prohibitive” to ride that far considering the charges for using a bike for more than thirty minutes, Houser explained, “and you wouldn’t really wanna ride these bikes that far because they’re not really that easy to ride.”

Annual, daily and 72 hour memberships for the share will go on sale starting August 25th at prontocycleshare.com.

unnamed (23)Wednesday, Mayor Ed Murray will be on the Hill to help kick off a series of informational meetings about the new program with a session at 10th and Pike’s Barboza:

Community planning workshops are an opportunity to learn more about the program’s launch timeline, functionality, installation, ongoing operations, membership, etc. and most importantly, to weigh in on station locations. Check out the list to find a workshop in your neighborhood!

 

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24 Comments
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kansei
kansei
9 years ago

when will they open stations in NoBo? Or SoCHill?

kansei
kansei
9 years ago
Reply to  kansei

err I of course meant NoBa

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
9 years ago
Reply to  kansei

Of course you did….. So WhereTF is NoBa?

James
9 years ago
Reply to  Jim98122x

“North of Bank of America”…?

Roberto
Roberto
9 years ago
Reply to  James

I was completely bewildered, too…so I googled it. My guess is North of Ballard…?

Ella
Ella
9 years ago
Reply to  James

North Broadway? South Capitol Hill?

trackback

[…] The program secured nearly $2.5 million from Alaska Airlines (who will act as sponsor) and $1.75 million from state and federal grants over five years to establish a bike share in Seattle. The branding for the program is the Pronto! Emerald City Cycle Share, according to Capitol Hill Seattle. […]

Manny
Manny
9 years ago

The better question is how long will they stay so pretty.

Poo
Poo
9 years ago

Those will work great on our hills!

built for 2
built for 2
9 years ago

great advertising!

It would be kind of cost prohibitive” to ride that far considering the charges for using a bike for more than thirty minutes, Houser explained, “and you wouldn’t really wanna ride these bikes that far because they’re not really that easy to ride.”

joan
joan
9 years ago
Reply to  built for 2

Well, yea. There’s a big difference between a commuter bike that’s sturdy enough for idiots to use and good to go two miles, and a nice road bike that you’d be happy to ride 12 miles on. It would be crazy stupid for a bike share program to optimize for the 12 mile case.

Max
Max
9 years ago

Can they fly?

Bear
Bear
9 years ago

I was in San Francisco last month and saw these bikes at a station on Market @Polk. There where about a dozen slots, but only 3 available on a Friday afternoon. There was video surveillance of the station…but I don’t think that will stop vandalism or theft.

Doug
Doug
9 years ago
Reply to  Bear

Or, you know, people were riding the other nine.

A
A
9 years ago

The person tasked with selling these told you “they’re not that easy to ride”?

That does not bode well for the program.

I ride bikes. I don’t get it.

Ks
Ks
9 years ago

This is not a new concept (read Citi bikes in NYC). Surprised it took this to reach Seattle as we are a much more bike-friendly city. NOT enthused however, with a bunch more people on the road on bikes. These users will likely not be your every day bike-to-work folks who know (in most cases) the rules of the road. I’d like to know the stats of how many accidents involved riders of these bikes come September 2015. And what about the helmets…

CD biker
CD biker
9 years ago
Reply to  Ks

ROFLMAO… are you implying that these new bike riders will all be people who’ve never earned a driver’s license or will they be DRIVERS who in most cases don’t know the rules of the road… sad, sad, sad, but oh how true. Kudo’s to the drivers who blasted by me today *and* yesterday when I was stopped (on my bike!) to wait for a pedestrian to cross the road

James
9 years ago
Reply to  CD biker

You were waiting for someone to cross the road for 2 days? Kudos to you, CD Biker….

trackback

[…] Bike Share meeting on Hill: To kick-off a series of community meetings about the new bike share system coming this fall, Mayor Ed Murray and staff will be on hand at Barboza Wednesday night to answer questions, take […]

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[…] last in a series of community workshops to help plan the new bike share program coming to Seattle this fall will be conveniently scheduled for anybody with some lunch free-time this week on Capitol […]

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[…] Boosted by a major sponsorship from Alaska Airlines, Seattle’s system lags behind programs in several other major cities. Seattle’s new system will begin with 500 bikes. Each station will have docks for 12 to 20 bikes and will feature a kiosk where non-members can sign up for 24-hour, or multiday passes, and or access bikes using a code. Those who pay $85 for an annual membership will be able to bypass the kiosk and check bikes out directly from their docks. In order for Pronto to operate in compliance with Washington helmet laws, each station will also have a “helmet dispensing” device, and a helmet return bin. Helmets will be available to rent for $2, will be sanitized after each use, and cycled out after a certain number of uses. A 24-hour pass will cost $8 or you can get three days for $16. Planners are collecting feedback on possible station locations from the community but have not yet announced the permit applications. […]

trackback

[…] memberships will join a $2.5 million, five-year sponsorship from Alaska Airlines in supporting Pronto operations and, eventually, […]

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[…] memberships will join a $2.5 million, five-year sponsorship from Alaska Airlines in supporting Pronto operations and, eventually, expansion. Mayor Ed Murray’s budget plan […]

trackback

[…] memberships will join a $2.5 million, five-year sponsorship from Alaska Airlines in supporting Pronto operations and, eventually, expansion. Mayor Ed Murray’s budget plan for […]