Now you can ride an Amazon e-bike around Colorado Springs — and ride it farther into the Hillside neighborhood. PikeRide, the Colorado Springs rental bike network, and Amazon are teaming up to create the first-ever e-bike sharing program in Colorado Springs. The partnership includes Amazon-branded e-bikes that are available to rent throughout the PikeRide network and funding for a new e-bike hub in the Hillside neighborhood, just east of downtown.
Amazon also announced its support for another PikeRide hub to be built in a yet-to-be-determined neighborhood this coming year. This investment adds an additional 20 e-bikes to the PikeRide fleet.
Following the partnership announcement and ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 14, representatives of PikeRide and Amazon joined with Colorado Springs elected officials for a group ride downtown in front of The Mining Exchange Hotel.
“PikeRide is an important part of our plan to provide a range of transportation options for residents of Colorado Springs,” Mayor John Suthers said. “The announcement today demonstrates the solutions available to us when we think creatively about partnerships between the private sector and community organizations. I am excited to see this initiative grow and experience the positive impact bike-sharing has on our city.”
“It is exciting to see Amazon value increased transportation options in our community and support the continued growth of PikeRide,” said PikeRide executive director Jolie NeSmith. “I am sure that this is just the beginning of a burgeoning relationship as Colorado Springs continues to grow.”
“We know expanding mobility options for residents, visitors, and employees is a major priority to the Colorado Springs community,” said Head of Amazon Community Affairs in Colorado Brittany Morris Saunders. “Amazon is proud to partner with this valuable community resource as PikeRide shares our commitment to sustainability and transportation access.”
The support from Amazon includes funding for a new hub located on Fountain Boulevard in front of Hillside Community Center—connecting Mountain Metro riders to the award-winning bike-sharing resource. Along bus route 15, this new hub will be adjacent to the Mountain Metro bus stop just east of the intersection of Fountain and Institute. Currently, more than 50% of PikeRide hubs are located within a three-minute walk of a bus stop, and Amazon’s support of PikeRide enables the continued growth of first and last-mile connections for those using Mountain Metro.
PikeRide electric bike-share launched in June 2018 and is a local charitable 501c3 nonprofit serving Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. PikeRide is also one of the first year-round fully electric bike-share systems to launch in the United States and has demonstrated great success by growing to over 50 hubs and almost 400 bikes. PikeRide electric bike-share is unique in that electric bikes do not have to be returned to a hub and can be secured to any rack or post within the service area to end a trip.
