TRUCKEE, Calif. — On Tuesday, August 26, the Truckee Town Council reviewed the future of the Truckee BCycle pilot program after learning that its current business model is financially unsustainable and set to expire in late 2025.

The Truckee BCycle program launched on June 2023, as a partnership between The Town of Truckee and Trek BCycle. The program brought 55 e-bikes and 101 docks to 22 hubs across town, from Donner Lake to the Legacy Trailhead in Glenshire. In October 2024, Trek sold BCycle to Bicycle Transit Systems, or BTS, which has continued to operate the program without service disruptions.

BTS is now in the final year of a three-year commitment to run the pilot program at no cost to the town, with operations expected to conclude around Nov. 1, 2025.

However, BTS has informed the town that the program is not currently profitable and would require approximately $175,000 in annual support to continue. For 2025, the program is projected to generate $50,000 in revenue against $225,000 in expenses.

The financial challenges are largely due to the seasonal nature of ridership in Truckee, combined with fixed operational and depreciation costs.

“We launched the bike share program in Truckee not knowing exactly what to expect,” said Brian Cogner, BTS chief business officer. “What we’ve learned is that it’s very difficult to make these programs sustainable through user revenue alone.”

Despite the fiscal outlook, BTS has expressed interest in continuing the program if a new business model can be developed.

Assistant Public Works Director Alfred Knotts presented several bike-share operating models for council consideration. Following the discussion, the council approved Knott’s recommendation to direct staff to issue a new Request for Proposals (RFP) to explore future operators and funding structures for the program.