A look back: Shift Transit’s 2022 Year In Review

01/24/2023 | Comment

A booming year for mobility with a connected future

2022 was a year of renewed connection, as people, communities and cities across borders moulded to a newly shaped normal. A normal that has people seeking connection and face-to-face interaction, whether in professional or personal settings and shared mobility is playing a vital role. Whether it’s bike sharing, scooter sharing, car sharing or para/microtransit, many forms of transportation are helping deliver this connection piece as an increasing number of people are discovering, adopting and using new forms of shared mobility.

At Shift Transit, we continued to work closely with partners and Cities, resulting in record-breaking growth and innovation. The impact that shared mobility has on communities and cities really highlights how important our work is in providing reliable transportation services.

The increased usage of shared mobility had our team busier than ever this past year. From managing a fully electric bike share fleet, through system expansions, to operating the 4th largest bike share system in North America, many of our markets saw big advancements in:

  • ridership
  • membership
  • system expansion 
  • accessibility

Doubling down on this growth are future plans to continue propelling micromobility as an integral part of everyday life. Let’s have a closer look at how Shift Transit, hand-in-hand with our partners, delivered more shared mobility options as city transportation landscapes continue to innovate and evolve. 

Micromobility

📍 Toronto, Canada: Bike Share Toronto

Ending the year with over 1 MILLION more rides than in 2021, Bike Share Toronto set a new record of 4.6 MILLION trips. Things really accelerated in Toronto in 2022, with expansion, e-bikes and system electrification to welcoming more riders than ever before to bike share! Bike Share Toronto closed the year with incredible results:

  • 4.6M trips – 29% YOY increase
  • 178% YOY increase in e-bike trips
  • 30% YOY growth in users of the system
  • 29% YOY growth in memberships sold

Innovating the customer experience was top of mind to make it even easier and seamless for new and returning users to access bikes. In August 2022, Bike Share launched a new all-in-one mobile website platform. The Bikesharetoronto.com website on mobile now offers all types of pass purchases, bike unlocks and member dashboard access for a levelled up customer experience. Within weeks of launching, we saw a 20% increase in new user transactions from the mobile website portal, with the support of a robust marketing and communications campaign. 

Bike Share Toronto continues to grow in popularity and importance and in September 2022, the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) announced the program’s Four Year Growth Plan. Shift Transit is excited to partner with the TPA as it aims to make Bike Share Toronto the best bikesharing system in the world. Since TPA and Shift partnered together, the system footprint has grown upwards of 225%; growing from 200 stations and 2,000 pedal bikes in April 2017 to 655 stations, 6,675 pedal bikes and 525 pedal assist e-bikes at the close of 2022.

2023 promises to be nothing short of exciting! Be sure to follow along.

📍 Detroit, Michigan: MoGo Detroit Bike Share

The MoGo Detroit Bike Share program had a gainful year, celebrating 5 years of service with new stations added and a booming membership base in an ever-changing ‘Motor City’. A total of 6 stations were installed, growing the system to 78 stations across six Metro Detroit cities, while also introducing the program’s first e-stations. Shift Transit led the installation of 2 hardwired e-stations located at the new Michigan Central Station, and 1 solar-powered e-station in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood as part of continuing efforts to electrify the entire system. Additionally, 3 bike share stations were installed in Belle Isle Park, the largest City-owned “island” park in the US, making it the first time bike share is offered as a way to explore the beautiful, big state park that spans 982-acres in the heart of Detroit. In the first month of servicing the island, the 3 stations saw immediate ridership.


Pictured: Skyhook solar e-charging station

As the system footprint grew, so did MoGo’s membership base. Spurred by the partnership with Wayne State that launched in 2021, over 1000 memberships were sold, ranking the stations around the campus within the top ten utilized in 2022. Overall, member ridership was up 45% year-over-year. This usage is a true testament to the necessity and success of the partnership, giving students, faculty and staff an accessible and affordable mobility option in Detroit.

Before the year came to a close, a new partnership was established with DivDat, broadening the cash payment option with DivDat’s widely accessible, easy, and real-time payment processing platform, continuing to drive equitable access to bike share in Detroit.

📍 Chattanooga, Tennessee: Bike Chattanooga

Shift Transit has been proudly working with the City of Chattanooga Division of Transportation since 2017 to run the day-to-day operations and management of the Bike Chattanooga program. This past year, Bike Chattanooga celebrated a decade of service, kicking off with a series of events, supported by the Mayor, to mark the 10 year anniversary. 

While the City support for bike sharing in Chattanooga remains strong, 2022 also brought further connection with the community, welcoming many more members to the system. Annual memberships sold was up 14% YOY, while the annual member ridership increased at the same fierce rate. More and more Chattanoogans are discovering the benefits of biking and accessing bike share as a way to move around the city. 

Chattanooga was an early-adopter of e-bikes back in 2018. E-bikes continue to be popular among members and all riders, with e-bike ridership accounting for 35% of all trips taken in 2022, while only representing 14% of the bike fleet. With e-bikes being this popular, we are excited to introduce more in 2023 – Chattanooga is ready for some serious pedal power!

 

Paratransit

Before finishing off the year, Shift prepared to transition operations and launch our second market with partner Via, one of the largest microtransit/paratransit companies in North America. Shift has successfully operated the Green Bay, Wisconsin paratransit service since March 2020, now adding Hampton Roads, Virginia, a program consisting of 85+ vehicles. 

Shift Transit oversees all mechanical and maintenance of vehicle operations, including preventive maintenance programs, OEM recalls, road calls, and general repairs. The majority of the fleet consists of paratransit WAV (wheelchair-accessible vehicle) e-450 buses outfitted with lifts which we also service and maintain. As an essential service for the community, the goal is to maintain a vehicle availability rate of over 90% at all times.

As we celebrate the wins of 2022, we also reflect on lessons learned and opportunities presented to shape a thriving 2023. Let’s ride!

Shift Transit Employee Spotlight – Joannah Burkhardt

10/11/2022 | Comment

For our fourth profile in our Employee Spotlight series, we checked in with Joannah Burkhardt, General Manager (GM) of the Bike Chattanooga program. Joannah has been an integral part of the program since it began 10+ years ago and is largely responsible for its record-breaking growth and success over the past few years. Today, Bike Chattanooga is seen as a national model for how to operate a viable, thriving bikeshare service in a smaller city.

We spoke with Joannah to learn more about how Bike Chattanooga has evolved over the years, the critical characteristics Chattanooga possesses that make it a great biking city, and our exciting upcoming expansion plans.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in Florida and am the youngest of 5. At age 4, my family moved to Tennessee where I have lived most of my life. I started my journey with Bike Chattanooga over 10 years ago as the Marketing Manager and then moving into the General Manager Position. The whole concept of bikeshare sparked my interest when I first heard about it. Coincidentally, through friends, I met the previous GM that was handling the launch of the program and here I am 10 years later.

You’ve been a part of Bike Chattanooga since the program launched more than 10 years ago. What are the biggest changes you’ve experienced and observed since you started?

I’d say the biggest changes I’ve experienced are how much downtown has grown and how the city has transformed into more of a bicycle friendly town. Ten years ago there was minimal bike infrastructure and now we have protected bike lanes, miles of new cycling infrastructure, and a Riverwalk that spans over 16 miles.

Bike Chattanooga has enjoyed tremendous success over the past few years, consistently breaking major usage and customer acquisition records. What do you attribute this to?

Introducing eBikes to the system was a huge game changer. People absolutely love them and we are seeing up to 4x more trips on ebikes vs pedal bikes. I also have an amazing team that works very hard to keep the system up and running. Without them, our success wouldn’t be possible.

Chattanooga is obviously a lot smaller than those cities that we mostly think of when it comes to successful bikeshare programs, including Toronto, New York, and Chicago. What qualities does Chattanooga possess that makes it a model for operating a successful bikeshare program in a smaller city? 

Chattanooga has a thriving arts, music, and dining scene along with a variety of outdoor adventures making it a tourist and vacation hotspot. Chattanooga also hosts multiple sporting competitions throughout the year attracting visitors from all over the world. Bike Chattanooga is an added attraction to the city’s bustling tourist scene.    

Bike Chattanooga is set to expand over the next few months. Can you tell us a bit more about the program’s expansion plans?

We are so excited to be adding an additional 50 pedal assist ebikes to our fleet and another ebike charging station. We will be replacing the already existing Walnut Street Bridge station with an ebike charging station to assist in the charging of additional ebikes. Once received, we will have a total of 105 pedal assist ebikes, 345 pedal bikes, 38 solar stations and 5 ebike charging stations.

As one of a few women leading the day-to-day operations of a bikeshare program, what advice would you give to other women in the industry seeking to become business unit leaders? 

Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Get out there and learn all aspects of your operations. The industry is constantly changing and improving, the more you understand and know about your entire operations, the better you can lead your team to success.

GM, Phil, fixing bikes

Shift Transit Employee Spotlight – Phil LeDonne

03/01/2022 | Comment

For our third profile in our Employee Spotlight series, we spoke with Phil LeDonne, General Manager of HUB312. This micromobility hub is located in Chicago’s historic Millennium Park and offers a suite of services to local bike commuters and visitors to the Windy City interested in seeing the sites on two-wheels. Phil is a recent addition to the Shift Transit team but no stranger to the mobility industry, having spent close to 20 years working in various cycling and bikeshare roles. 

We spoke with him to learn more about what inspired him to work in the transportation space, his vision for HUB312, and his cooking secrets.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. As a kid I spent a lot of time playing outside (tablets weren’t around back then!) with friends and in my teenage years I got into rollerblading and skateboarding and spent most of my time at the skatepark when I wasn’t playing sports. In my later teen years, while away at college, a friend introduced me to mountain biking – and I immediately fell in love. Since then I’ve tried to spend as much time as possible outside, and have found a variety of things to keep me busy during all the seasons we see in Chicago, though most require some sort of travel. I find myself doing lots of hiking, camping, rock climbing, snowboarding, and of course riding my bike(s) often. 

You’ve had a long, varied career in the micromobility industry. What were some of the things you did prior to joining Shift Transit?

My career in the cycling industry started off at Dicks Sporting Goods, right after the Galyans sale. I figured if I could find a job that got me discounts on all the toys I liked and hobbies I was into, while getting paid, it was a win-win. From there I went to a bike shop in the Chicago suburbs called Spokes where we sold ultra high end bikes (think Tour de France type bicycles) and I spent about 8 years there eventually becoming the service manager. Then this new thing popped up in the U.S. called bikeshare. I was interested in the ‘green’ aspect of the sharing model, reducing the need for car ownership and I knew it would revolutionize the way people moved throughout cities. I applied for Divvy as a mechanic and after being interviewed by Eddie on my first day – which was intimidating – I was offered the role of Assistant Manager for Bike Fleet. I spent the next 8 years with Divvy, working my way up to the title of Director of Bike Fleet Operations and oversaw the launch of e-bikes in Chicago!

How has your previous experience in the cycling industry prepared you to take the helm of HUB312?

HUB312 is a unique business, with a sort of multi-pronged approach to cater to a variety of customers and clientele. I think my experience in the retail world (Dicks), the mechanical world (Spokes) and my operational leadership (Divvy) provided me with the skills and expertise to handle the different aspects of our business. Since the pandemic we’ve had to start from scratch, so to speak, and I love the fact that I can have some interaction with both visitors from out of town and our local customers as well. In the end I’m a people person and I love talking to people from all different backgrounds, walks of life and various parts of the world – I’ll talk your ear off if you give me the chance! HUB312 is one of the only facilities of its kind in the country and I’m excited to be a part of this journey. 

As we continue to build out HUB312 and its suite of services, what are some of the initiatives you look forward most to launching?

I wouldn’t say it’s any one aspect of the business or service, per se – but rather just taking this business to the next level. I want to put us out there as a top tier repair center in the heart of the Loop, while offering exceptional tours and rentals to locals and visitors alike. Chicago has such a storied history, with incredible architecture, an amazing lakefront trail and endless food options thanks to our rich and diverse culture and I think that HUB312 is poised to showcase all of this to visitors to our city. Combine this with a place where local cyclists can safely store their bikes and receive best-in-class, inexpensive repairs while they head to work and we have the ingredients of a singular type of mobility hub.

What’s your ultimate vision for HUB312?

I envision HUB312 as a sort of community center and meeting point where Chicagoans and visitors who are united by their love of cycling, traveling and the city of Chicago come to meet, swap stories and experiences and enjoy the services that we offer. With the uniqueness of our business model, we can cater to locals with bike storage options,  shower facilities, and our bike repair shop. Visitors to Chicago can rent bikes to take advantage of our beautiful city on their own time or schedule a ‘Tour de Chicago’ with HUB312 tour guides. 

We hear you love to cook and have cultivated a vegetable garden in your backyard. Tell us more!

Oh boy, I can go on and on here. For me, the absolute best way to unwind from your day is cooking a nice meal with loved ones over a glass of wine. My favorite weekend days are those spent in the kitchen preparing a dish that takes hours and hours of preparation and cooking. Growing my own fresh vegetables and herbs are the key to really knock a dish out of the park – not to mention another way to spend some time outside in the summer months! We’ve been known to grow things like parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil and mint – which all come inside in the winter. In the summer we’ll add multiple varieties of peppers (hot and sweet), several types of tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, cucumbers, green beans, onions, garlic, eggplant – just to name a few. Last summer we tried growing fresh mushrooms and they were fantastic! In recent years I’ve also taken a liking to homemade breads and pasta, as well as canning and have made things like giardiniera, pasta sauce, pickles, hot sauces, pesto, and recently tried my hand at infused olive oil. Ok, my mouth is watering, time to get cooking!