'MoGo' Bike Sharing System To Launch In Detroit Next Month
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Plans are moving forward for a bike sharing system in Detroit that will include more than 40 stations in 10 neighborhoods.
Those involved in the effort announced Wednesday that the name for the system will be "MoGo, Detroit Bike Share." The "Mo" in "MoGo" is a reference to Detroit being the Motor City and the original home of Motown Records and its Motown sound.
Plans call for 430 on-demand bikes to be available for use starting in May at self-serve stations.
Detroit Bike Share — an affiliate of the Downtown Detroit Partnership — is expected to cost about $2 million to launch and $1 million annually to operate, with much of that funding already raised. The city is involved and it's sponsored by Henry Ford Health System and Health Alliance Plan.
The network is "designed to complement neighborhoods' existing transportation infrastructure, giving people more access to affordable choices in the types of transit that can best get them where they want to go," according to the MoGo Facebook page.
Executive Director Lisa Nuszkowski says the bikes are designed to fill a particular niche in the city.
"How many of us have hopped in our car and driven a mile down the street and paid for parking and maybe gotten a ticket? So we really think that a one to three-mile distance is our sweet spot," she said. "And so we think that Bike Share can fill a unique role there."
To ride, users can purchase various passes — an $8 daily pass, $18 monthly pass and an $80 annual pass. There's also a limited time $100 option, which includes extra daily passes for friends or family. Anyone who receives state benefits can get an annual pass for $5.
The bikes are intended to be ridden for 30 minutes and returned to another bike station. However, additional trips can be purchased: $4 for daily pass holders, $2 for others. If you fail to return a bike, it will cost you the $1,200 replacement price. (Note: The bikes do not come with a lock).
People will be able to purchase passes and get more information about the bike sharing system online.