Link: Dayton Bike Share celebrated its First Anniversary with many bike share enthusiasts at RiverScape MetroPark today. Link users took more than 33,000 trips the first year, averaging just under a 100 trips a day. In total, more than 5,000 users experienced the 24-station system.
Link announced they will add a total of three stations in 2016 expanding the station network to 27 stations. Greater Dayton RTA installed their station at their Longworth Campus in mid-April. “We started offering wellness incentives to our employees that use the Link program, but many of them wanted to be able to use the bikes between our location at Wright Stop Plaza and Longworth,” said Mark Donaghy, Executive Director of Greater Dayton RTA. “We were happy to close this gap and encourage our employees to get some fresh air and exercise.”
Two additional stations will be installed in the fall at the Montgomery County Job Center, which is currently undergoing renovations, and at the Tech Town Campus off East Monument Avenue. “For the County, it was about providing access to our employees and users of the Job Center,” explained County Administrator, Joe Tuss. “It was a no-brainer that Link should be one of the enhancements to the new facility.”
Carrie Scarff, Deputy Director of Five Rivers MetroParks announced a partnership between the bike hub commuter space at RiverScape and Link. “Any member of the bike hub, can receive a 20% discount on a Link Membership with this new partnership. It’s collaborations like this that allow us to encourage more people to bike to work if they have a longer trip and complete that trip to work on a Link Bike,” said Scarff.
“I am thrilled to be here because Link is an accomplishment of our entire City. Many partners had to come around the table to make this possible, and the community embraced it as an amenity,” said Mayor Nan Whaley. “I have loved seeing citizens and visitors riding Link Bikes throughout the year. I’m happy to see the system expand to Tech Town. It’s a natural point of growth for the system as we connect our technology hub to the vibrant, active lifestyle of downtown Dayton.”
In thanks and celebration of a great first year, Link is offering a Free Ride Weekend Saturday, May 7th and Sunday, May 8th. The $5 membership fee will be waived at all kiosks, but a credit card is still required to check out bikes. Users can enjoy 24 destinations via Link and can check out bikes for up to 30 minutes at a time without incurring usage fees. “We’re so grateful to the Dayton community for believing in the mission to create more opportunities for bicycling,” said Bike Miami Valley Executive Director Laura Estandia. “We got over 5,000 people to discover bicycling again last year, and we’re excited to continue to grow.”
