ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg's Bike Share program will continue for the next three years.
- City Council approves expansion of bike share program
- 300 bikes will be replaced with new HOPR 3 bikes
- 50 electric bikes to be added to the fleet
- More Pinellas County headlines
City Council approved the extension and expansion of the program Thursday morning.
Under the plan, the current fleet of 300 bikes will be replaced with new HOPR 3 bikes with improved technology.
"The saddles adjustable to any height. We have a lock that's super easy to unlock with the app so you just download the app," said Josh Squire, CEO of HOPR.
The bikes will be replaced within the next few months. They'll also be adding 50 electric bikes to the fleet.
"It saves you time and you can ride further," said Squire.
The e-bikes can travel up to 40 miles on a single charge and reach speeds up to 20 mph.
According to a city council report, there have been over 115,971 trips on the bikes over the nearly three year period and 241,713 miles traveled. That data was collected from the start of the program in 2017 through December 2019.
This spring, electric scooters are also coming to St. Petersburg. Squire says he doesn't see that impacting the bike share trips.
"In Tampa since the scooters launched there, we've seen an increase in ridership, not a decrease," said Squire.
To learn more about the current bike share program, click here.