Pittsburgh's bike share rolling out new fleet, including e-bikes

After seven years known as Healthy Ride, Pittsburgh’s bike share revealed a rebrand on Wednesday that includes new station locations and a new fleet that will include some electric-assist bikes, also known as e-bikes.

The new system is called POGOH. The name is designed to suggest hopping — as if on a pogo stick — between city neighborhoods, said Bike Share Pittsburgh Director David White. The added “H” is an homage to the silent letter at the end of Pittsburgh.

At an event at Highmark Stadium in Station Square, White said the rebrand and introduction of e-bikes to the fleet is to help Pittsburgers tackle short- and long-term issues, like high gas prices, traffic congestion, air pollution and climate change.

“We have the ability to tackle these issues, but we have to take some action,” said White.

Bike Share Pittsburgh spokesperson Erin Potts said POGOH should launch by spring of this year, and all Healthy Ride bikes and stations will be retired eventually. POGOH will roll out 38 stations across the city of Pittsburgh in Phase 1, and then they hope to add another 27 stations in Phase 2.

Phase 1 also includes 340 bikes total, with 170 regular pedal bikes, and 170 e-bikes.

The bikes are being provided by PBSC Urban Solutions, a company based in Montreal, Canada. E-bikes ride similar to regular bikes, except a small electric engine provides a boost when the bike determines it’s necessary, like uphills and on some flat stretches.

The POGOH e-bike motor tops out at 18 mph, but the bikes can exceed that speed when going downhill or with pedal power, said White. POGOH, like Healthy Ride, will be sponsored by Allegheny Health Network. The e-bike fleet was made possible by grants from the Hillman Family Foundations, the Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

Renting the POGOH bikes will also be different from Healthy Ride bikes. Potts said POGOH bikes are lighter and shorter than Healthy Ride bikes.

A new app and website is forthcoming, and POGOH users will scan a QR code to rent the bike they desire. POGOH bikes do not have cables and locks, like Healthy Ride bikes do.

Riders without smartphones can call the number listed on the bikes to rent. Annual membership holders will be given a physical card to use to rent bikes, said Potts.

POGOH rental prices will see increases compared to Healthy Ride. Pedal bikes for POGOH will cost $3.50 per 30-minute trip, compared to $2 per 30-minute trip on Healthy Ride. POGOH e-bikes are $5 per 30-minute trip. Potts said the price increases are due to the high cost of implementing and purchasing e-bikes. He noted that POGOH prices will still be among the cheapest in the country.

The Healthy Ride partnership with Port Authority, which allows ConnectCard users free 15-minute rides, will be eliminated when the Healthy Ride fleet is retired, said Potts.

POGOH users can also rent bikes using an annual pass and flex pass that provides five hours of rides at the rider’s convenience. People who are currently enrolled in SNAP food assistance, LEAP energy assistance, Medicare and Medicaid can qualify for an annual pass that provides unlimited 30-minute rides for just $10 a year.

Kim Lucas, acting director of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said she is excited to see POGOH launch and for the city to get e-bikes. She said the increased mobility that e-bikes can provide helps the department’s goal of providing residents with access to amenities that are within a 20-minute trip, even without access to a car. She said e-bikes should also boost biking numbers in the city overall, and that should make biking safer for everyone.

“Data shows that the more people you have on bikes in a city, the safer it is to be on a bike,” said Lucas.

POGOH stations will be most concentrated in Downtown and Oakland, but also include locations in the North Side, the South Side, Uptown, the Hill District, the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Garfield, East Liberty, Shadyside, Homewood and Hazelwood.

White said that the addition of e-bikes should allow POGOH to reach some hill locations that Healthy Ride couldn’t, like Bedford Dwellings in the Hill District, Homewood North and parts of Garfield.

There will also be stations at or very near to many stations along the East Busway, including one at the edge of city limits at the Wilkinsburg busway station.

Potts said this was intentional as a way to allow bus riders better mobility options for the last mile or so of their travels and commutes.