Riding high on a steady launch period, Santa Monica’s Breeze Bike Share is upping its game – adding cycling time, introducing corporate rates, and planning to increase stock if needed, all en-route to completing a successful first year in operation.
On August 1, a new and simplified fee structure and employee benefit program will hit the city’s cycle-paths, with the current eight subscription options narrowed to four, and more daily ride time for members.
Here are the new plans:
Annual Plan: $99/year for 90 minutes of daily ride time. This replaces two plans at $119 for 30 minutes and $149 for 60 minutes. Less money for more ride time.
Monthly Plan: $25/month for 90 minutes of daily ride time. This plan consolidates two monthly plans and offers 30 to 60 minutes of additional daily ride time.
Student Plan: $7/month for 90 minutes of daily ride time. Students will now pay monthly rather than a 6-month commitment with increased daily ride time from 60 to 90 minutes a day.
Pay-As-You-Go: $7/hour. This $1 increase from the current $6/hour matches the Breeze hourly rate with partner bike share systems in formation in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, UCLA, and Long Beach.
Existing members will receive 90 minutes of daily ride time until their plan expires and/or is renewed under the new fee structure.
As of June 30, there were 24,000 active pay-as-you-go subscriptions and 1,500 active annual /monthly subscribers, according to the City of Santa Monica’s dedicated bike share coordinator Kyle Kozar. “To date the total number of active subscriptions has climbed to over 26,000. Santa Monicans account for 19 percent of the total memberships, County residents are 34 percent and out of county visitors are 47 percent,” Kozar said.
Santa Monicans account for 44 percent of total trips taken, county residents take 23 percent and visitors account for 33 percent.
While numbers are high, bike share operator Cyclehop conducted a study before launching the program and estimated that over time the program would grow to attract 60,000 casual users (pay-as-you-go) and 5,000 annual/monthly subscribers, according to the City.
Launching in November last year, the City will use these first 12 months to establish a baseline and make tweaks accordingly.
“The simplified fare structure came from surveying riders and listening to comments, and looking ahead to an integrated regional bike share network that is seamless for riders,” explained City of Santa Monica Mobility Manager Francie Stefan.
“Breeze riders have shared their love of the program, but we’ve also heard frustrations about a confusing menu of plans and not enough daily ride time,” Stefan added.
The annual plans now equate to less than $1 a day, and are the cheapest option for users who take more than three 30-minute trips per month on average.
Alongside personal subscriptions, a new Breeze Bike Share Employee Benefits Program allows employers to bulk purchase Breeze Bike Share plans for their employees for as little as $19/year.
Stefan explained that the employee benefits program does not yet cover City employees, “but there is a good amount that signed up during the pilot (pre-launch) and on launch day as founding members.”
“We are in the process of exploring the adoption of the Employee Benefits program for City Employees, but have not landed on a decision, and need to understand how the options will work best for city employees,” she added.
Breeze is on track to break even, the City said, with new bikes and infrastructure planned with net revenue generated.
For the employee program contact info@breezebikeshare.com or 310-828-2525. To join Breeze head to breezebikeshare.com, or sign up in the street.
