Baltimore Municipal Bike Share Ends; Private Bike Share Pilot Begins

Dockless electric scooters and bikes are welcome on the streets of Baltimore, as long as they follow a few rules. In related news, the municipal bike share system Baltimore Bike Share has ceased operations.

1 minute read

August 25, 2018, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Bike Share

Bike share is dead. Long live bike share. | LI Cook / Shutterstock

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).

Wednesday, August 15, 2018 in The Baltimore Sun

Chicago Intercity Rail

Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects

Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.

September 25, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Google maps street view of San Francisco alleyway.

Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’

A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?

September 26, 2023 - Fast Company

Google street view of yellow "End Freeway 1/4 mile" sign on 90 freeway in Los Angeles, California.

Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing

A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.

September 26, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Passes Downtown Zoning Reforms

The changes, part of the mayor’s Downtown Activation Plan, make way for more residential development in the city’s downtown core.

19 minutes ago - The Urbanist

Close-up of 'bike lane' road sign with bike logo

Report: U.S. Biking Boom Slows

The pandemic bike boom is petering out, but more Americans are biking than ever before, signaling a need for cities to keep improving bike infrastructure and make roads safer for cyclists.

1 hour ago - Streetsblog USA

Newly constructed houses in Tempe, Arizona.

Tempe Historic Preservation Proposal Could Make it Harder to Build New Homes

Proposed changes to the city’s preservation ordinance would make two-thirds of the city’s housing stock eligible for preservation.

2 hours ago - The State Press

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.