Transportation
Portland's New Bike Share Marks Some Early Triumphs
More than a quarter of Biketown’s users say they’ve turned to the service for trips that would otherwise have been taken by car.
Perhaps no civic fixture in Portland will ever be as beloved as those strategically uncomfortable public toilets, but the new bike share is coming close after a mere six months in operation.
The Nike-sponsored Biketown program, which rents 1,000 carrot-colored “smart” cycles for $2.50 a trip, has logged 160,000 journeys since July for a total distance of 312,690 miles. That’s the “equivalent of 49 round-trip rides from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine,” according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Last year also saw 3,000 people sign up for year-long contracts, which cost $12 a month and provide 90 minutes of free riding daily.