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St. Louis Embraces Bike-Share and its Connection with Transit

Bike-share was introduced into the St. Louis area in April of 2018.  Riders have already taken over 100,000 rides with an average of 1200 rides a day!  The average trip of a typical bike-share ride in St. Louis is half a mile.  This highly accessible mode of transportation extends the reach of the current transit system by affording transit riders another first-mile/last-mile option.

Lime Bike and ofo are the two companies that provide the bike-share service in St. Louis.  CMT recently conducted an informal poll to find out how the locals are using bike-share and to see if they had a preference between the providers.  Here is what they had to say:

  • Karen – “Around my place (a bit north of Forest Park) Lime Bikes are A LOT more common than ofo, so not really a choice. But overall, I’ve been happy with lime bike. :)”
  • Karen – “…I like the idea of biking as a link to transit for a while, but since I haven’t ridden a bike since I was a kid, I wasn’t willing to spend a bunch of money (which is VERY limited) to see if it would work and if I would stick with it long term. This is a great way to test the waters. Maybe I’ll eventually buy a bike, maybe not.
    Also, the bikes I’ve seen/used seem to be parked appropriately, often at bike racks or near apartment buildings. There are plenty of obstacles to people with limited mobility; I really don’t see these as being their biggest problem.”
  • Amanda – “Lime!”
  • Richard – “I ride the Lime Bikes at least 3 times a week either to or from my work or transit…”
  • Michelle – “It costs me $700/year to park at my place of employment. Instead I park elsewhere and am grabbing a rental bike to trek to my office. Its saving me a ton of time as the walk usually takes me about 20 min.”
  • Sarah – “I’ve used the Lime Bikes a bunch of times and I love them. My last many bikes have all been stolen and the flats are always a giant drag. I use my own helmet and go. I’m sure I wouldn’t have biked at all over the last month if this dreamy thing hasn’t started up.”
  • Andy – “Both bikes work well, but Lime Bike has a better app.”
  • Karen – “Yes, I agree!”
  • Emma – “I own a bike but Lime Bike has come in VERY handy so far twice, I love it!”
  • David – “I love seeing them being used all over town.”
  • Annie – “Makes getting to my car much faster and way more fun in a pinch. The baskets are super helpful, and I highly recommend adjusting the seat before you ride. ;)”

Both bike-share apps share usage date with local officials and planners.  This information will be used for future planning and improvements to biking infrastructure and other planning initiatives.  What has been your experience with bike-share?  Let us know at info@cmt-stl.org.


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