Hundreds of bright green bicycles have collectively logged nearly 100,000 miles crisscrossing Birmingham, as the city’s new bike sharing system has become a hit with residents and visitors alike.
Zyp BikeShare, an initiative of REV Birmingham that launched in October 2015, gives riders a new way to make a quick trip to the grocery store, spend an afternoon exploring favorite landmarks or take many other excursions around the city.
The system is marked with innovative features, including an app through which riders can buy time on a bike, unlock it and chart their course. And the bikes and docking stations scattered throughout the city use clean energy, charged fully by solar panels.
Zyp also was the first system in the U.S. to offer electric assist bikes that give riders an extra boost, a feature that’s especially useful on Birmingham’s hilly terrain.
“What it’s all about is grab and go transportation,” said Michael Symes, sales and marketing manager for Zyp. “You’re not waiting on a ride. You can use it whenever you like.”
In addition to the convenience and extra transportation alternative it provides, the system also is adding vibrancy to the city.
“It’s becoming very noticeable downtown. You just see people outside moving and seeing the city from a different perspective,” he said.
Zyp has a total of 400 bikes located at 39 docking stations, with the 40th set to launch this spring at the new downtown Publix supermarket. A quarter of the bikes are electric assist, and the rest are standard eight-speed models.
The system is just one more reason Birmingham is growing in its appeal to millennials, said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“Birmingham is in the midst of a revival, with increasing investment in residential and commercial developments downtown, a rising profile for its technology startups and other entrepreneurs and continued growth for the major business and industry players that have long been successful here,” he said.
“Now, Zyp BikeShare has added another element that signals vitality, providing a new way for thousands of people to travel and explore within the city.”
Other elements about Birmingham that millennials find appealing include a vibrant restaurant scene, a deep roster of concert venues, and citywide events like the Sloss Music & Arts Festival and the Sidewalk Film Festival. In addition, Birmingham has been named the nation’s top city for millennial entrepreneurs by Thumbtack.com.
95,000 MILES
Zyp riders have traveled roughly 95,000 miles on about 75,000 separate trips, which are counted every time a bike is undocked. Trips vary from several blocks to several miles; most are about a mile.
There are several ways to buy time on a bike, but the most popular are the $75 annual membership and the $6 day pass.
The system has sold more than 900 annual memberships, which allows unlimited access to the bikes. And to date, Zyp has sold more than 16,000 day or week passes to walk-up riders.
Bike share systems are popular in Europe, as well as in northern U.S. cities, Symes said. There are more than 100 across the country.
The idea to start one locally came from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham around 2012, after officials visited San Antonio and saw that city’s system. The timing wasn’t right then, but the idea came back up in 2014, and a feasibility study followed.
Zyp is supported by federal grants, as well as key sponsors and partners. Sponsors are Regions Financial Corp., Blue Cross Blue Shield, Alabama Power Foundation, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Partners are the City of Birmingham and the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.
The bikes’ green color is a nod to Regions, which has long used green bikes in its marketing materials. But the company’s support of Zyp goes beyond that, said Rick Swagler, executive vice president and head of external affairs for Regions Bank.
“We didn’t become a lead sponsor of Zyp just because Regions is known for our green bikes; we saw it as a new way to help people explore and get around our headquarters city. And we’re proud that it’s actually one of the most innovative systems in this hemisphere, which surprises some people,” he said.
HITTING THE NEXT GEAR
So what’s on the horizon for Zyp?
The system’s next challenge, Symes said, is to get people who ride the bikes for fun on the weekends to turn to them more for weekday errands. That’s a sign that Zyp is increasingly being incorporated into everyday life.
“I’m extremely excited to see people riding them on a Saturday, but I get a little more excited to see them on a Tuesday,” he said.
Zyp also has selected Birmingham-based software firm Fleetio to manage routine maintenance, bike inspections, repairs, parts inventory and kiosk activity for the system.
Meanwhile, Zyp’s staff will continue to offer safety courses and demo rides to encourage more traditionally non-riders to join in. The system also offers reduced-price memberships for people who are on government assistance, live in low-income housing or meet other criteria.
“This is a system for everyone, not just for millennials. Many people look at it as an adolescent activity, but you really don’t forget how to ride a bike,” he said.
Symes noted that Zyp is locally operated by people who know the city well and are passionate about making it a better place to live, work and play.
“We want to remind everyone that riding a bike is fun,” he said. “Just getting on it brings back that sense of childhood, the freedom of riding around, seeing the city from a different perspective and enjoying the day on a bike.”
