City partners to discuss possibilities for Red Bike's future after board shut down

CINCINNATI — The Red Bike program throughout Cincinnati has shut down.

The bikeshare program's board voted to shut it down permanently, according to Red Bike Board President Anastasia Mileham.

"Obviously, we can't spend what we don’t have, and it was our fiscal responsibility as a board to use the remaining cash to properly account for and dispose of Red Bike assets," Mileham wrote in an email.

Cincinnati City Council member Mark Jeffreys reacted to the shut down, saying he won't allow it.

"Working a plan now to keep it going," Jeffreys said via X (formerly known as Twitter). "More news in next few days."

The bikeshare service recently paused for the winter in January not due to lack of ridership, but due to too much growth with not enough funding.

Executive Director Douglas McClintock previously told WCPO 9 that it would have taken well over $250,000 to "really make sure that we were not having to close things down."

McClintock told WVXU the non-profit was facing budget issues after its biggest revenue source, UC Health, decided not to renew its sponsorship of RedBike in June.

At the same time, RedBike was expanding via capital grants. That left a steep deficit in the budget.

Provided

McClintock said a third of revenue for the program comes from fares, while the rest comes from corporate sponsorship and grants.

Provided.

"It is built as an incorrect stool. It has two legs. We need four: fundraising, sponsorship, public support, fair box recovery," he told the SORTA Board in February.

Jeffreys said he is calling on a dozen city partners to help assess what's needed to create a sustainable funding model for Red Bike long-term.

"We are getting people in the room early next week," he said. "We invest in transportation overall. Our roads are invested in where there is no return on investment. It's a means for people to get to economic activity."

"Bikeshare is like transit. It doesn't operate at a profit," Tri-State Trails director Wade Johnston said. "If we want bikeshare to be successful in Cincinnati, it's going to require a subsidy of some kind."

Johnston said he is optimistic about RedBike's future based on conversations he's heard with partners who will meet next week.

RedBike's funding structure, and the issues that come with it, are not unique. Minneapolis and Houston closed their systems. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Austin all have some form of support from either their transit system, the city or a non-profit operator.

At a SORTA board meeting on Feb. 20, members allowed staff to being discussions to see what an integration with RedBike, if any, could look like.

Board chair Kreg Keesee said he doesn't believe SORTA's role is to make sure bike share survives, but "I do think it's worthwhile to say how could we make it work together."

Red Bike previously announced an increase to ride fare, but he said funding needed to come from other avenues as well.

“People want to use this," McClintock said. "We know it's successful, and it has legs, we just got to put that funding underneath it.”

The bicycle rental service celebrated its ninth year in Cincinnati 2023, when it announced plans to expand Red Bike stations throughout the city. As of September, there were 70 different Red Bike stations within the region, with more planned for the future.

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