BART Has Had Enough of Dockless Bikes

With piles of them strewn around stations, the transit agency is "cracking down" on bikeshare companies.

1 minute read

April 4, 2018, 8:00 AM PDT

By Katharine Jose


Free Floating Bikeshare

Daniel Lobo / Flickr

The Bay Area is currently facing what seems to be the inevitable result of dockless bikeshares: lots of themand in great piles around transit stations and other popular destinations. 

Before it starts to look like ChinaBART is aiming to make the companies accountable for the mess left by their product. 

From the San Jose Mercury News: 

"The transit agency is cracking down on the growing phenomenon, said Steve Beroldo, BART’s bike program manager, by forcing LimeBike and similar companies to remove recklessly discarded or broken bikes, paint bike parking areas at stations so it’s clear where users should leave them and ensure the companies have enough insurance in case someone trips over a bike and wants to sue BART." 

A variety of dockless bikeshare companiespermitted or otherwise, have set up in cities across the county, and set off debates about how to prevent the mounds of discarded bicycles that seem to go with them, even if the piles themselves are evidence of how popular the bikes have been. 

Last week, the CEO of Birda dockless scooter company that just launched in the Bay Areawrote a public letter to several other companies suggesting they take a "Save Our Sidewalks" pledge to “build more bike lanes, promote safe riding, and maintain our shared infrastructure.”

Monday, April 2, 2018 in San Jose Mercury News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight