EUGENE, Ore. –The city of Eugene will take over operations of PeaceHealth Rides later this month, avoiding any interruption in service. This is an interim measure as the city searches for an organization to run the popular bike-share program.
“We know how much our community values our bike-share system,” said Matt Rodrigues, City of Eugene acting Public Works Director. “The city has worked swiftly with our partners to take action and ensure the future of PeaceHealth Rides.”
The city made this commitment just weeks after the previous operator Social Bicycles, an Uber subsidiary, announced it was leaving the bike-share business and ending service as of June 1. That date was later extended to June 30.
PeaceHealth also remains committed to PeaceHealth Rides as title sponsor.
“We are proud to continue our support,” said Mary Kingston, Chief Executive, PeaceHealth Oregon. “PeaceHealth Rides is a signature program that supports health, the environment and access to affordable transportation.”
Many local residents have come to rely on our community’s bike-share system to get to work or school, and residents and visitors alike enjoy exploring our city on these bikes. We can take pride in knowing that more than 21,000 PeaceHealth Rides membership accounts have been created since the bike-share program launched in April 2018.
This will be a smooth transition for bike-share members. PeaceHealth Rides will continue to operate with the same policies, services and prices. Uber will be contacting PeaceHealth Rides members and issuing refunds to those who had pre-paid for services. Refund-related questions may be sent to refunds@socialbicycles.com.
More information about how to set up a PeaceHealth Rides membership with the city of Eugene as the new operator will be available at peacehealthrides.com.
PeaceHealth Rides launched on April 19, 2018, as a healthy, environmentally friendly transportation option. It started with 35 stations clustered in Eugene’s downtown core, the Whiteaker neighborhood and University of Oregon campus, and one station at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield. It has grown to a network of 300 bikes, 41 stations in Eugene and one station in Springfield.
The bike-share program was established through a partnership between the city of Eugene, title sponsor PeaceHealth, University of Oregon, Lane Transit District and Social Bicycles by JUMP Bikes, an Uber subsidiary.
