BURLINGTON – The bike-share company planning a rollout of electric bicycles in the Burlington area has delayed the launch after technical issues and a supply issue prompted by tariffs on Chinese goods.
Gotcha, a South Carolina-based company, planned to add a fleet of 200 bikes in Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski in late August before college students start the fall semester. But the firm is telling those communities a supply issue has put the launch on hold, in addition to “unforeseen” technical difficulties with hardware and software.
The e-bikes are expected to replace 105 pedal bikes currently part of the Greenride bike-share program. Officials say the electric-assist equipped fleet will make commuting easier and encourage alternative transportation in the hilly region.
Caroline Passe, a Gotcha spokesperson, said the company is working with the city of Burlington to finalize the agreement, user fees and a new launch timeline.
“We apologize for the delay and are working diligently to expedite our progress to get the system off the ground,” Passe wrote in an email. “In the meantime, we are continuing to operate the Greenride bike share system to provide an alternative transportation option for the community.”
The Greenride service started last spring as a partnership between the three communities, Champlain College, the University of Vermont, the Champlain Area Transportation Management and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. It allows users to rent a bike for a few dollars and return it to another designated hub in the area.
The switch to e-bikes is held up as bicycle parts are subject to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, a result of President Donald Trump’s trade dispute with the country. That means the bikes could be caught up in the complications of the supply chain and unable to be shipped overseas.
Gotcha also said it’s experiencing technical issues with its mobile app and software that need to be resolved before the launch of the e-bikes.
Winooski Public Works Director Jon Rauscher said he received an email in early August notifying the city there would be a delay due to the manufacturing issues.
“It wasn’t necessarily a surprise just because we hadn’t discussed the schedule in depth,” Rauscher said.
Winooski currently has only one Greenride bikeshare hub located downtown, but the city is reviewing additional hubs and hopes to install some in neighborhoods.
The operating contract includes restrictions for geofencing the e-bikes so that the electric assist won’t work on the riverwalk. Burlington also has geofencing restrictions for the electric assist, prohibiting the feature on Church Street and restricting speeds to 10 miles per hour on the bike path.
Rauscher said the delay is not a major concern as Winooski has other capital projects moving forward, but he hopes to see the e-bikes before winter.
“We want to provide the service to our residents to provide a multimodal option for our community,” he said. “It’s potentially a low-cost option for folks who want to get rid of a car and replace it with an e-assist bike.”
Justin Rabidoux, South Burlington’s Public Works, said he remains optimistic the program will eventually come to the city.
“I think some of the global concerns cited aren’t new to us because we’re also in the construction industry, we’re aware of the impact on construction and materials in general,” he said.
Rabidoux said the city has long supported adding bike-sharing as an additional choice for transportation options.
“An e-assist bike really opens up the notion of a bike sharing program to a wider range of people,” he said.
Burlington City Councilor Jack Hanson, P-East District, said he is “disappointed” about the delay and eager for the bikes to arrive as soon as possible.
The council approved the contract for the program in June, but it has yet to be signed.
“I think everyone wants to get them in quickly, I think it’s kind of out of our control unfortunately,” he said.
The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission conducted a study of the first phase of bike-sharing under the Greenride program. The recommendation looks at having a total of 50 hubs around the city for the 200 e-bikes.
Bryan Davis, a senior transportation planner, said about 12,000 bike-share trips have been taking since the initial program last year.
“The goal is covering short distances to reach work, to reach the bus, a few miles between other forms of transport,” he said.
Davis said he is working with other neighboring Chittenden County communities to develop biking facilities for a possible future expansion of the e-bike service. He said the benefit of the electric assist bikes is that it expands the distance that people are willing and able to cover in a time frame.
“Those of us involved in the program are interested in getting e-bikes as soon as possible which we’ve wanted for a while,” he said.
Correction: There are 105 pedal bikes in the area’s Greenride program now, not 80 as previously reported, and the commission aims to have a total of 50 hubs.
