Before eliminating fares for locals, the Heartland system only recovered 10%-15% of its operating costs through fare revenue.
Metropolitan Omaha is making its bike share system free, opening up the 400 e-bikes to all residents over 16. "Those vehicles can even be ridden across the Iowa border and into neighboring communities like Council Bluff, making Heartland one of only a handful of multi-state micromobility providers around — and the 'Free Rides' program makes it one of the country’s most-affordable systems, too," a Streetsblog article explains.
Heartland is one of the nation's most ambitious free bike share programs, offering unlimited 60-minute rides. Before going fare-free, the system only recovered 10% to 15% of its operating costs through rider fares, half of which came from out-of-town visitors. The Free Rides program is funded for one year, but Heartland CEO Benny Foltz hopes the benefits will help make the case for continuing it into the future.
FULL STORY: ‘Best Bikeshare in America’: An Unexpected Community Launches Free, All-Electric Micromobility For Residents
DC Micromobility Use Keeps Growing
Capital Bikeshare saw its fourth straight month of record ridership.
From Zero to Two: Houston’s Bike Share Saga Continues
The city is now proposing supporting BCycle as well as launching a new, complementary system.
Houston Could Launch New Bike Share
Metro is considering a contract with a new operator that would focus bike share service on major transit hubs.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association