Staff recommends that the City Council forward a recommendation of approval of the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study to the Policy Coordinating Committee. The PCC is scheduled to take final action on the study at its March 18, 2021 meeting.  

The Billings Yellowstone County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) hired Alta Planning + Design through a competitive process to conduct the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study. The goal of the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study is to define what a successful bike and scooter share program would look like for the Billings area. A bike and/or scooter share system is a network of shared bicycles or scooters available for short-term use, usually 15 to 45-minute trips. A user can check out a bicycle or scooter from locations around the city, ride to their destination, and then leave the bicycle or scooter for someone else to use.  

Bike share and scooter share programs are designed to be a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly, convenient travel option for shorter trips. In a survey of 245 respondents completed as parts of this study, 53% of people said they are interested in seeing bike and scooter share in Billings, 24% are not interested, and 14% need more information. Of the remaining percentage that selected "other," many respondents reported liking the idea of bike share, but not scooter share. Top concerns related to bike and scooter share include safety, lack of bicycle infrastructure, and vandalism. Billings community members want to access downtown, parks, and restaurant/coffee shops by bike or scooter share.  

The study recommends if Billings were to implement a system itself or be approached by a private party to launch a system, it should be a hybrid bike share system where the bike/scooter houses the transaction rather than at a station. Stations, also called hubs, consist of branded racks for parking bike share bikes. Though stations could be available, the program does not require that a bike be left at a station and it is permitted to be parked anywhere within the service area. The study also recommends using electric-assist or e-bikes to make trips easier for people of all abilities.  For a system governance model, the study recommends implementing a turnkey bike share system or a publicly owned and privately operated system. In a turnkey system, the City would hire an experienced company that owns and operates the system. The City would rent equipment and contract with the company for the full range of operations support, including installation, operations, sponsorship, customer service, and maintenance. Alternatively, Billings could purchase the bike share fleet and hub infrastructure and contract with a third party to operate the system.  During the system launch, the study suggests launching in an initial service area including downtown and MSU Billings, creating an equity program, and establishing strategic partnerships to ensure the success of the system.

City Council may: 

• Recommend approval of the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study to the Policy Coordinating Committee, or;
• Recommend disapproval of the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study to the Policy Coordinating Committee.

This Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study was programmed and approved in the MPO's annual work program and is an initial evaluation of how bike and scooter share could be successfully achieved in Billings so the City is prepared to move forward with a program if approached by a private entity or if the opportunity comes for a City-initiated effort. Disapproval of the study would be contrary to the City Council's direction to staff to investigate the options and feasibility of this transportation program for the community.
 

The contract for the Billings Area Bike and Scooter Share Feasibility Study was budgeted at $44,964. The majority of the funding is through the MPO’s Federal PL (planning) funds. PL funds for this project required 13.42% local match, which was provided through the Planning Division’s approved FY21 budget. Implementing bike and/or scooter share in Billings is not programmed at this time. This feasibility study is an initial evaluation of how bike and scooter share could be successfully achieved in Billings so the City is prepared to move forward with a program if approached by a private entity or if the opportunity comes for a City-initiated effort.