Ride an “Urban Milwaukee” Bublr Bike
Urbane transit: Bublr bikes now includes 20 branded with Urban Milwaukee logo.
Urban Milwaukee founders Dave Reid and Jeramey Jannene hit the streets.
Get ready to ride an Urban Milwaukee bike around town. Through a new partnership with Bublr Bikes, 20 Bublr bicycles have been outfitted with Urban Milwaukee branding. The bikes will circulate throughout the rapidly expanding Bublr Bikes network.
Bublr Bikes launched in 2014 with 10 stations and added 18 more in 2015. An on-going expansion effort stretching into next year will roughly double the size of the system by adding up-to 40 more stations in partnership with the cities of Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, West Allis and the Village of Shorewood. The network today includes 40 stations and 350 bikes. The system, which is operated by a non-profit, has a goal to eventually reach 100 stations and 1,000 bicycles.
New stations have already been installed this year at Aperture at The North End (outside the new Fresh Thyme Farmers Market grocery store), S. 2nd St. and W. Washington St, the Milwaukee Public Museum, N. Prospect Ave. and E. North Ave., Zillman Park in Bay View, the Marquette University Student Union and N. Dr. Martin Luther King Dr. and W. Brown St.
Has the expansion paid off in terms of mobility? It sure looks that way, the annual number of trips grew four-fold between 2015 and 2014 to over 22,000. That pace hasn’t slowed in 2016: sometime in the next week the 2016 trip count will exceed the total trips in all of 2015.
Bike Sharing Explained
Bike sharing now exists in 75 U.S. cities, as an easy way to get riders from point to point. System bicycles can be checked out from docking stations using a credit card or membership fob. Unlike traditional bike rentals, all trips start and stop at a docking station. It gives riders the benefit of a bike at their disposal without the need to buy, maintain or store one.
A single 30-minute ride costs $3 ($3 for each additional 30 minutes), while a month-long membership that includes unlimited 60-minute rides costs $15 ($80 annually). Starting this year Bublr also added a pay-as-you-go pass that allows riders that pre-purchase a fob to get 30 minutes usage for $2 each. The pay-as-you-go pass makes it easier to quickly grab a bike and go (at a discount) while avoiding the need for a long-term financial commitment.
The system pairs well with existing and planned transit options like the bus system or streetcar by providing another mobility option, allowing riders to choose the mode that bests fits their need.
Purchase a pay-as-you-go pass, see a station map or learn more on the Bublr Bikes website.
Ride and Save
Planning to come to Urban Milwaukee’s June 28th anniversary party with Tom Barrett? Save $10 by snagging a photo of yourself riding an Urban Milwaukee branded Bublr Bike. Simply share the photo on Twitter (mention @UrbanMilwaukee) or post it to our Facebook page. The first 10 people to do so will receive $10 off the $25 cost, which includes an open bar (tap beers, house wine and rail drinks) and appetizers at the Newsroom Pub.
Hats off to Urban Milwaukee for sponsoring this great asset to Milwaukee’s transportation options.
Kudos to UM for sponsoring and for Bublr bikes for rapid expansion. We recently moved to Seattle and their “pronto” system is not as convenient. They only offer a daily pass for $8. They do not have a one time use option or a monthly pass option. Milwaukee’s options encourage a lot more usage in my opinion. We loved using Bublr bikes last year and miss it.