New CoGo bike share stations are being installed throughout Columbus, as well as in Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Bexley.
Many of the two dozen-plus new stations are already stocked with bikes, and the attached kiosks – which feature touch-screens that enable users to buy one or three-day pass – are online and ready to be used, according to an updated map on CoGo’s website.
The new additions bring the total number of stations to 72. A federal grant secured by the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission will cover about 80 percent of the cost of the expansion, with each of the four jurisdictions paying the rest.
Also listed on the city’s website are four “private development sponsored” stations; one in front of the Gravity project in Franklinton, another at the corner of 18th and Main Streets on the Near East Side, and two new outposts along the Olentangy Trail Downtown.
Past expansions of the CoGo network have contributed to steady gains in overall ridership since the service first launched in 2013. Officials hope to see that trend continue, especially given that this expansion is significantly larger than previous ones, and that it will take the network outside of the City of Columbus for the first time.
It may be too early to tell, though, how CoGo usage will be affected by the dockless bikes and scooters that are now available in certain parts of Columbus.
Although dockless systems – which feature devices that don’t have to be returned to fixed stations like CoGo bikes do – offer cheap rates for short trips, a docked system like CoGo can offer a better deal for regular users or commuters, through an annual membership that costs about $7 a month.
The scooters and bikes from Lime and Bird are also not currently available in Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights or Bexley.