Citation

Choy LB, Smith HH, Espiritu J, Higa E, Lee T, Maddock J. Hawaii J. Med. Public Health 2015; 74(10): 348-351.

Affiliation

University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Department of Public Health Sciences, Honolulu, HI (LBC, JE, EH, TL).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, University Clinical, Education and Research Associates (UCERA))

DOI

unavailable

PMID

26535166

Abstract

In 2011, a small pilot bike share program was established in the town core of Kailua, Hawai'i, with funding from the Hawai'i State Department of Health. The Kailua system consisted of two stations with 12 bicycles, and the goal was to secure additional funding to expand the station network in the future. Community feedback consistently indicated support for the bike share program. However, system metrics showed low levels of usage, averaging 41.5 rides per month (2011-2014). From observational data, users were primarily tourists. With minimal local staff, the bike share program had limited resources for promotion and education, which may have hindered potential use by local residents. Management of station operations and bike maintenance were additional, ongoing barriers to success. Despite the challenges, the pilot bike share program was valuable in several ways. It introduced the bike share concept to Hawai'i, thereby helping to build awareness and connect an initial network of stakeholders. Furthermore, the pilot bike share program informed the development of a larger bike share program for urban Honolulu. As limited information exists in the literature about the experiences of smaller bike share programs and their unique considerations, this article shares lessons learned for other communities interested in starting similar bike share programs.

Language: en