Zagster is ending the bikeshare service in Roanoke, Va., due to the financial strain from the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made in an emailed statement to Zagster’s community partners.
“The effects of COVID-19 on our communities has been tragic,” the statement read. “Sadly, the pandemic has also impacted Zagster’s business and it is with heavy hearts that we must inform you that Zagster will no longer be providing bikeshare services in your community. This was a difficult decision but a necessary one, for which we are truly sorry.”
The removal of bicycles and stations will begin immediately, with all equipment to be removed by June 12. Bikeshare service has been suspended since March 26 out of concern for the health and safety of users and service technicians at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
“With the deleterious economic impact of COVID-19 both locally and nationally, we are saddened but not surprised at the news that Zagster’s business has also suffered and will result in the end, for the time being, of bikeshare in Roanoke,” said RIDE Solutions Director Jeremy Holmes. “However, we know that bikeshare has been a success in the Roanoke Valley, and we also know that the micromobility market will adapt to the post-pandemic economic situation. We’re confident that new mobility solutions will arrive that will allow us to revisit bikeshare – or perhaps something more exciting – in the next few years.”
Zagster bikeshare started in Roanoke in May of 2017 with most of the funding coming from private sponsorships. The system, which launched with 50 bikes and 10 stations, expanded to almost double that number, including additional stations in Salem and Vinton.
“With the help of our sponsors and community partners, we funded and launched a bikeshare program in record time, in a market that only a few years previous seemed an unlikely candidate for a successful program, and created a valued transportation and recreation service for our citizens,” Holmes said. “That is a testament to the strength and creativity of Roanoke’s business and civic community, and I know that we will be able to tap into that again sooner rather than later for new and better amenities.”
RIDE Solutions is a commuter services program operated by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in cooperation with the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Central Virginia Planning District Commission and the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. It provides multimodal trip planning services for citizens and employers throughout central and southwest Virginia.
