HOUSTON — At its peak in 2022, BCycle had more than 150 stations in Houston.
They've since closed all of them except 60 stations while also increasing rental fees.
The nonprofit that runs BCycle said it started having problems keeping up with operating costs during the pandemic, right about when annual ridership hit 300,000 trips.
Their sponsorships dried up and rental fees alone couldn't sustain the network.
On Wednesday, Houston City Council members approved spending money to keep running the reduced network and bring back as many suspended stations as possible until next summer, when METRO is expected to launch its own system.
"Without this funding right now, we're almost, like, ... stopping the bleeding because it's about the residents that need access, and it's the residents that are using this and asking for us to do this," District C Councilmember Abbie Kamin said.
At-Large Position 3 Councilmember Michael Kubosh was one of four members who voted against the spending.
"Somehow or another, the model failed. Either they're not charging enough or there's some problem here if it failed," Kubosh said.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said he's still open to private sector funding or ideas to run a better business model. Most of the major bike-share systems in the United States have corporate sponsorships.
On Thursday, METRO is voting on a multi-year, $10.5 million contract with PBSC Urban Solutions. Their bike-share equipment is used in systems in New York, Chicago and Washington D.C.