ROANOKE,VA. – Earlier this year Zagster bike-share shut down its operations across the country due to the pandemic, but the bikes and docks are still on the streets of Roanoke.
That’s because the company hasn’t come to get them, leaving local officials in limbo over what to do with them since technically they are property of a company that no longer exists.
If you keep a close eye on Roanoke, you might notice some things around town, sitting still, collecting dust. RIDE Solutions director Jeremy Holmes said Zagster bikes are frozen in time, and people want to know why.
“It was bittersweet that we would be getting messages (from users) even within the last month or so saying you know my app doesn’t work, why aren’t the bikes unlocking?" Holmes said.
Back in 2017, Zagster bike-share launched in Roanoke and it was all the rage. Holmes said they smashed all their goals, more than 5,000 people rode the bikes more than 16,000 times. It was a success by all accounts. And then in late May everything changed.
“We just got an email that said Zagster like a lot of companies suffered under COVID and they were ending all of their bike-share systems across the country," Holmes said.
According to Zagster’s website, the company is being dissolved and creditors are making claims on what’s left. With the company no longer, the bikes and stations are left behind. Most are on city right-of-ways. And all of the bikes are locked up like trash left on the sidewalk that can’t be removed.
Homes said the equipment was always leased, which means his hands are tied since it’s technically not their property. He’s been in touch with CSC Leasing, a Richmond based company, on the issue of the remaining equipment. It’s unclear if CSC Leasing was a creditor or purchased the equipment directly. 10 News reached out to CSC Leasing for comment and did not hear back.
“There’s a third party who owns that equipment now whose been working on the final disposition, sell or donate, and they’re the ones we’ve been working with, we just haven’t resolved anything yet," Holmes said.
Holmes is hoping for the latter option, donation, and said they could be put to good use in the Star City right away. He also noted that nearly 40% of riders were out of towners, visiting Roanoke.
Either way, Holmes said Roanoke was clearly not a failing market, and it’s unfortunate the city fell victim to the economy as a whole.
“It’s a signal we think that bike share was successful and will be successful again when we can get there, but it is disappointing that the equipment is still out there and we haven’t been able to resolve what happens next," Holmes said.