Board hears PikeRide contract update, sees modest ridership in May

Manitou Springs’ Mobility and Parking Board heard an update on negotiations to renew its PikeRide micromobility contract and reviewed May usage data at its June 24 meeting.

Staff said the renewed agreement was structured around split payments (two payments over six-month periods) and is awaiting in-house counsel review before final execution. Felipe, a staff member, said PikeRide agreed to present to city council in September and that the MAP board would be scheduled to review the service a month earlier.

The board received system metrics for May: “141 starts. About 122 ends,” staff member James reported. Members noted the system’s inventory constraint—18 bikes across 10 stations—and discussed strategic placement to encourage growth at lower-performing sites such as the Dillon Mobility Hub and Ruxton Avenue.

Board members and staff emphasized that the new contract includes substantially more data collection and analysis, which they said should improve future decisions on station placement and fleet size. Options discussed included adding bikes under city ownership but managed by PikeRide, and improved wayfinding and signage to drive ridership.

Carl Stang and others urged focusing promotion and infrastructure (striping, mixing zones and a planned bridge connection to the Creek Walk Trail) to make the Dillon hub more attractive to riders. Staff said reinstallation of a station at Hiawatha Gardens will accompany that lot’s reopening.

The next steps: staff will return with contractor-approved contract documents, station-level analytics as they become available under the new data provisions, and a timeline for the PikeRide presentation to MAP before the September council briefing.