Seattle mayor Ed Murray will scrap his city's bike-share program

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      Less than a year after Vancouver launched its Mobi bike-share scheme, the City of Seattle has decided to kill a similar program, known as Pronto.

      The Seattle Times has reported that Mayor Ed Murray has decided to reallocate millions of dollars on its program to other bicycle- and pedestrian-safety initiatives. 

      According to the newspaper, the city was planning to replace the troubled two-year-old Pronto with electric bikes from Quebec-based Bewegen.

      Murray's then abruptly decided to cancel the plan as he approaches a reelection campaign later this year.

      The Seattle mayor's move has been welcomed by council member and long-time Pronto critic Lisa Herbold.

      “I’m glad to see these funds are proposed toward implementing the city’s bicycle and pedestrian master plans, and school safety projects, in line with my proposal last year to redirect $4 million in funding away from expansion of the Pronto system toward these existing needs," she said in a news release.

      Meanwhile, the City of Vancouver has committed $5 million over five years to CycleHop Canada, which operates its program.

      In Vancouver, plans call for 1,500 Shaw-branded bikes to be on the streets.

      In December, the city announced a long-term partnership with Shaw Communications on its bike-share program, resulting in a new name: Mobi by Shaw Go.

      When the program is fully rolled out, there will be 1,500 bicycles at 150 stations in the downtown peninsula and between Main and Arbutus streets north of West 16th Avenue.

      "Bike share programs across North America typically engage corporate sponsors to ensure program sustainability, for example, the programs in both Seattle and Portland have major corporate sponsorship," the city said at the time. "Bikes, stations, and other system assets will be rebranded over the coming weeks to reflect the partnership."

      One-year plans to use the Vancouver bike-share program start at $129. Monthly passes are available starting at $15, with day passes starting at $7.50.

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