BOISE, Idaho — 70 bikes, kiosks, solar panels, batteries and other equipment are on sale online since Valley Regional Transit ended its contract with Social Bicycles. The Boise GreenBike Garage Sale is live on the Auction Frogs website until March 28. The bikes and other equipment will be sold in two phases, with the second phase going live on March 21.
After VRT suspended operations, Boise GreenBike donated around 40 bikes to local non-profits, leaving an inventory of 70 bikes according to a news release. All the bikes have had controllers and locking units removed. Proprietary nuts and bolts have been replaced with standard hardware, enabling new owners to easily service the bikes.
“When we suspended operations, I got lots of phone calls from people interested in acquiring one of the bikes,” said Dave Fotsch, founder and director of Boise GreenBike. “We’re finally making the bikes available and hoping to put a little money aside for whatever comes next.”
The proceeds will go into a fund to help bring the next generation of bike-share to Boise. VRT is trying to get corporate sponsors to support a larger and all-electric fleet of bikes.
The release says the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the sponsorship efforts, so there will not be a bike-share program in Boise this year. VRT is working to launch a new program in spring 2022.
