How is Public Sector Helping People to Pedal Along w Bike Sharing, Bikes and More?

Here in beautiful Austin, Texas, where our main offices are located, our city has the reputation for being a clean, active, thriving city. Among the innumerable recreation locations in our fair city, the 10-mile Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail is by far the most popular. At any given time, you will see hundreds of exercise and bike enthusiasts making their way along picturesque Town Lake.

Should you find yourself traveling elsewhere in Austin, there is a strong likelihood you’ll come across others pedaling in and around town. Does all of this bike riding make Austin a unique city in the United States? Not even close! As reported by Statista, back in 2016, there were over 66 million bike riders in the U.S., a dramatic climb from the 47 million in 2008. To confirm for the record, those millions of people don’t each live in our fair city.

State, local, and federal government agencies in the U.S. have taken note of this growth and are investing in equipment and services to help Americans pedal along. In addition, the public sector has their own needs when it comes to bicycles. Yes, even a government agency near you is likely leveraging pedal power.

As you likely know, there’s a buzz regarding car sharing programs, but were you aware that ‘bike sharing’ is a thing also? In particular, over the past few years, we’ve kept watch on the growth of bike sharing programs. However, as you’ll see in the following, state, local, federal, education, law enforcement, and military entities are requesting and purchasing many additional bike-related equipment, services, and solutions. There were 100’s of applicable requests in the past year. 100’s!

European nations have led the way in putting bike sharing programs into place. Count me as “in” for being in favor of the U.S. catching up on these programs. It’s a good thing that cities and towns across the U.S. are making cycling more accessible to people. These bike sharing programs, bicycle stations if you will, allow individuals to rent a bike to use for a certain time frame and then return the bike to the original, or different bike share station.

Not to get too sentimental, but, for many of us, one of our first memories is when we first learned how to ride a bike. How cool was it when you taught a child, or friend, how to ride? Well, bikes are, and will forever be, a part of the U.S. fabric and many businesses will continue to partner with U.S. government agencies to keep America rolling on! Is there opportunity for you?

Some of the data:

Sample active bids / RFPs

Bike Sharing, Bikes, …

To take a look at the bids and RFPs, along with the applicable specifications, please stop by BidPrime or call 888.808.5356.