Baltimore Municipal Bike Share Ends; Private Bike Share Pilot Begins

Two related bike and scooter share news developments in Baltimore could be a sign of things to come in the rapidly evolving landscape of personal transportation.

"Baltimore has shut down its problem-plagued bike share program after less than two years," report Colin Campbell and Talia Richman.

"The move, which [Mayor Catherine] Pugh announced at her weekly news conference, ends the city’s relationship with Bewegen Technologies, a Canadian firm, and Corps Logistics, its Westport-based maintenance subcontractor," according to the article.

The news about the demise of Baltimore Bike SHare came packaged with an announcement that the city would enter into a pilot program with dockless bike and scooter companies Bird and Lime. A press release from the city's Baltimore City Department of Transportation also chose to announce both news stories at the same time. 

"Bird and Lime will each pay Baltimore $15,000, plus a dollar a day for each dockless scooter or bike they deploy, to operate a six-month pilot program in the city," reports Colin Campbell in an article that followed the original news. 

"The pilot program, which runs through the end of February, allows each firm to maintain a fleet of no more than 1,000 dockless scooters and bikes," adds Campbell.

According to Matt Warfield, the planning department source quoted in the article, the pilot program was crafted with guidance from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).