ValleyBike, the regional bikesharing system that spans from the UMass Amherst campus to the City of Springfield, has set a new August 12 launch date to reopen after a year-long hiatus.
ValleyBike, a municipally-owned bikesharing system, has been out of service for over a year after the private firm that handled day-to-day operations went out of business.
The City of Northampton is planning a ribbon-cutting for the rebooted system for Monday, August 12, 2024, at noon in Pulaski Park in downtown Northampton.
“We are so excited to bring back this popular micromobility program that has been so important in serving the transportation needs of our residents,” shared Mayor Sciarra in a press statement issued last week. “I warmly invite all ValleyBike communities and residents to join us in the celebration of this launch at noon in Pulaski Park on August 12th, here in downtown Northampton.”
New operator will add 50 more bikes to fleet
Drop Mobility has also re-launched the ValleyBike.org website, with details about pricing, memberships, and pre-sale deals.
The rebooted system will include the 300 shared pedal-assist electric bikes that served the previous system, plus 50 new e-bikes from Drop Mobility.
Expect to see those bikes coming back to ValleyBike stations on the weekend of August 10. The system will go live directly following the ribbon-cutting event on Monday August 12.
After issuing a request for proposals earlier this spring, Northampton officials announced in May that they had entered into a contract with a new operator, Drop Mobility, a Toronto-based company which also operates bikesharing systems in New Orleans, Tulsa, and Albany, among other cities.
At that time, City of Northampton officials had announced the service would restart by June.
