Healthy Ride rebrands as POGOH with new stations and bikes, half of them electric

Bicycle Share Pittsburgh is replacing its overall Wholesome Journey program this spring with a thing new, referred to as POGOH. (It’s “PGH” with two bike wheels in amongst). Following numerous a long time, the ubiquitous blue-and-white bikes ended up receiving a little bit worn out, and classes experienced been acquired.

Lesson a person: Pittsburgh has hills. Plenty of them. So fifty percent of the new POGOH bicycle fleet will be e-guide bikes.

“As soon as you go up a hill, it will give you a raise,” says Erin Potts of Wholesome Experience Pittsburgh.

“I can not wait to see riders POGOH-ing all more than town,” claims Tim Madle, creative director for Pittsburgh-based mostly style and design studio Landesberg Structure, who helped generate the new name and search.

The non-electrical bikes will have 3 gears and attribute lighter frames, adjustable seats, entrance and wheel lights, fenders and roller brakes.

The bikes are created by PSBC Urban Answers of Montreal. The e-help electrical bikes can be returned to any station, and have highly developed charging capability that will allow them to be charged instantly at the station.

“I believe that our most loved reminiscences of being in towns are the times when rather of emotion the panic of hurrying visitors around us, we truly feel the pleasure of the people today all around us,” claims David White, govt director of nonprofit Bicycle Share Pittsburgh. “We have the prospect to deal with some of these worries, tackle the challenges of large fuel price ranges, wellbeing disparities in our communities, congestion in our streets, pollution in our air.

“We can clear up this … We have the possibility to remake our total metropolis.”

Healthier Ride, which started in 2015, has about 100,000 registered buyers, according to Potts. The new program will start out with 38 rental/charging stations next month and 340 bikes. Later this summer months or early tumble, 27 more stations will be extra. The bikes are unlocked with smartphones applying a QR code. A new web page and application will be launching before long.

An yearly membership will contain limitless 30-minute rides for $120 a yr. A five-hour flex pass is $30. Pay out-as-you-go pricing is $3.50 for 30 minutes for pedal bikes, and $5 for 30 minutes for e-support bikes.

“Last year, we announced an endless amount of excursions for the entire College of Pittsburgh campus — all college students, grad students, school and staff, can all get obtain to our process for absolutely free,” suggests White. “We’re just one of the only cities — possibly the only town — that has a partnership like that.”

Generating the program more available was a priority for POGOH so it will start out a Mobility Justice Membership, which will offer an once-a-year membership to any individual receiving govt assistance (SNAP, Medicare, Medicaid) for $10.

Highmark and Allegheny Health Network keep on being the main sponsors with the Hillman Foundation, The Heinz Endowments and the Richard King Mellon Basis also furnishing guidance.