Breckenridge opted to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into an electric bike program the past couple years in an effort to meet its mission of encouraging more boots and bikes and fewer cars in town. Town staff members say the investment is paying off and they want to up the ante. 

Sustainability Administrator Teddy Wilkinson said it is estimated the program has reduced almost 23,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and this year alone helped replace what staff believes to be over 26,600 vehicle miles traveled in the community. 

After hearing about the program’s success, town council members voiced approval for expanding the program and adding around $90,000 to its budget at an Oct. 22 meeting. 

The program uses a “hub to hub” model where people can grab a bike from one hub destination and take it to one of 26 hubs around town. It has two prongs: the bike-share program and the bike rental program. The bike-share program is largely geared toward locals to provide transportation for everyday travel routes that take around 30 minutes via bike and can involve a membership. The bike rental program caters more toward recreation. 

The town began the program as a pilot from May to October of 2023 before implementing it fully for the 2024 season, which also spanned from May to October. Mobility staff members reported to council the program saw a near 52% increase in usage year over year. They asked the budget be increased from just under $360,000 to around $450,000. Wilkinson said mobility staff has an application out for a grant through the Colorado Energy Office to use for the program’s cost. 

The budget increase will take the number of bikes in the program from 125 to 170 and the number of bike hubs from 26 to 30. 

Wilkinson said a community survey showed difficulty carrying things on a bike was among the reasons deterring people from utilizing the program. 

Council member Todd Rankin suggested staffers look into the possibility of cargo bikes or some type of trailer attachment for bikes so locals could utilize the program for grocery shopping.  

Council member Dick Carleton said the success of the program changed his perspective on it. 

“I was one of the ones (who) was opposed to it in the past … I thought it would compete with the bike shops, and I’ve talked to several of the bike shop owners, and they’re not opposed to it,” he said.  

Carleton added the bike shops just wanted the program to use geo-fencing to ensure the bikes stayed in areas near town and people weren’t taking them places like Vail Pass or the Frisco bike paths, which would have taken away from their business. 

Council member Jay Beckerman wondered what visitor versus local usage looked like for the program as he and other council members wanted to encourage visitors’ usage of the program just as much. 

Mobility staff members said quantifying exactly who was using the program was tough, yet the number of memberships versus one-off uses could provide some insight. 

Last year, memberships accounted for 75% of the program’s usage and the pay-as-you-go model accounted for 25%. This year, the split was 64% membership and 36% pay-as-you-go.

According to the town’s site, it costs $4 to unlock the bike and it costs 50 cents a minute after the first 30 minutes. A monthly membership costs $20 per month or $50 for the full season. Memberships include 60 minutes of riding a day and it costs 15 cents a minute after that. 

Town staffers estimate the 2024 season will bring in upwards of $42,500. 

Based on community feedback staffers are recommending adding hubs to the F Lot, Wellington Road, French Gulch bus turn around and Upper Warriors Mark Neighborhood.