CINCINNATI — It’s already getting more difficult to access a RedBike, and now, the service will pause for the winter beginning Friday evening.
The pause is not due to lack of ridership. Instead, it’s the opposite: too much growth with not enough funding.
Executive Director Douglas McClintock said it would have taken well over $250,000 to “really make sure that we were not having to close things down.”
He said a third of revenue comes from fares, and the rest comes from corporate sponsorship and grants.
McClintock told WVXU the non-profit is facing budget issues after its biggest revenue source, UC Health, decided not to renew its sponsorship of RedBike in June.
The organization already announced an increase to the ride fare. McClintock said just like any other transit system, there needs to be additional revenue sources.
“We don't fund our roads by charging people to drive on them,” he said. “It comes from tax dollars that come from other sources of funding.”
He said transit needs to be subsidized in some way, and said he sees micromobility heading in that direction nationally.
RedBike saw increases as the system expanded, McClintock said.
“People want to use this," he said. "We know it's successful, and it has legs, we just got to put that funding underneath it.”
Public investment is one component, he said. Cincinnati City Council gave RedBike $75,000 for operational costs this fiscal year. That’s separate from the money council has given RedBike to grow.
“It’s become critical,” said council member Jeff Cramerding. “It’s got to be part of our transportation system moving forward.”
He said while the city could provide some funding for a short gap, RedBike is looking at a more long term solution to avoid this problem happening next year.
Tri-State Trails Executive Director Wade Johnston said it’s more difficult to raise money to keep an organization’s lights on.
“It would be, I think, catastrophic, if it permanently went away,” he said.
Tri-State Trails advocates for protected bike lanes and trails throughout the region. A system like RedBike enables individuals to utilize the infrastructure the city has already provided.
“Unfortunate as these circumstances are,” Johnston said, “I think it'll show people how important RedBike is for our community.”
The bike-share system has said they will return in the spring, but has not given an exact date.
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