Passaic council approves bike-share expansion; officials explain mixed maintenance approach and costs

The council discussed and approved a resolution related to the city's bike-share program during its Oct. 22 meeting.

Councilman Monk asked whether the award added more bicycles or stations. Business Administrator Rick Fernandez and staff explained the contract adds five new stations/racks and 10 new multi-speed bikes to the existing fleet (the administration said there are currently about 25 bikes in circulation). Officials said the new bikes will match the existing system visually while offering multiple gears.

On maintenance, staff said there are two components: a vendor-specific seasonal maintenance contract (to cover proprietary rack locks and manufacturer-specific parts) and a separate local maintenance service for routine repairs. The seasonal maintenance item cited in the discussion was $13,000 for 35 bicycles, three times per year, which an opposing point of view noted could alternatively purchase new bikes if viewed as recurring expense; administrators said higher usage of shared bikes and equipment-specific needs justified the mixed approach.

The resolution awarding the bike-share program and other items in the block (items 17–36) were approved by unanimous roll-call vote.