PikeRide tells council nonprofit bike-share expands access, seeks steady funding

PikeRide board chair Ruth Black and Executive Director Tara McCarthy told the Colorado Springs City Council on Aug. 11 that PikeRide is a nonprofit bike-share program operating about 300 bikes and close to 98 station docks across Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, and that it needs more stable, ongoing funding to expand service and preserve affordability.

The nonprofit said 2024 ridership included roughly 4,300 unique riders, with 31% from outside the region, and that its affordability programs provided annual memberships for $20 (regular annual is $165) and a leased e-bike program funded in part by the Colorado Energy Office. "A bicycle is an equalizer," Ruth Black said. "This is someone who, because of PikeRide, kept a job and avoided homelessness." Tara McCarthy said PikeRide’s low-income participants — 111 people in 2024 — accounted for nearly 15% of system miles despite representing about 2% of riders.

Why it matters: council members and staff pressed PikeRide on funding and operations because the program affects…