Detroit’s much anticipated bike share program now has a name and a target launch time. It’s going to be called MoGo.
The name is supposed to evoke the Motown sound, as well as its reputation for being the “Motor City” along with mobility and movement in Detroit through the introduction of a public bike share system.
There will be 430 bikes and 43 stations throughout ten neighborhoods when the project launches before the end of May. An exact launch date was not given.
“We are thrilled to introduce Detroit to MoGo,” said Lisa Nuszkowski, executive director, MoGo, Detroit Bike Share. “Today’s announcement continues the city’s mobility evolution, providing Detroiters and visitors alike with more accessible options to move around the city.”
They also launched their website today, www.mogodetroit.org, where you will be able to purchase passes, find stations and learn more information about the system. However, the station map is not up as of this writing.
Here’s how the pass, pricing and returning will work:
- The Daily Pass runs $8 per day and includes unlimited 30-minute trips for 24 hours.
- The Monthly Pass costs $18 per month and riders receive unlimited 30-minute trips for the entire month.
- The $80-per-year Annual Pass gives riders the option to pay $80 up front or $8 per month, and offers unlimited 30-minute trips for the full year. A special discount is available for people 65 years and older.
- The Access Pass, for qualifying riders, costs $5 for the year and offers 30 minute unlimited rides.
- The Founders Pass includes an Annual Pass, plus MoGo gear and other benefits for $100.
- There will be approximately 10 bikes per kiosk
- Rides are 30 minutes long. Additional trips can be purchased ($4 for daily pass holders, $2 for others).
- It will cost you $1,200 to replace the bike if you fail to return it.
MoGo also offers a Corporate and Community Pass Program, which will provide organizations of all sizes the opportunity to purchase discounted passes for their staff.
Beyond the website, you can get passes with cash or a credit card. If you have state benefits, you are eligible to get an annual pass for $5.
The system is going to serve the general area known as the “7.2” or greater downtown Detroit, ranging from Corktown and Woodbridge to the west and Eastern Market to the east.
MoGo’s 10,000 square foot warehouse is located in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. That’s just east of Woodward, north of I-94. Currently there are 18 seasonal and permanent employees. The plan, according to Shift Transit’s Rebecca Quinn, is to hire a total of 25. They have open jobs here including part time launch associates and for a bike mechanic.
This is the first full city launch for Shift Transit, and the company also now operates the bike share in Toronto, Canada. More than 70 cities in the United States have bike sharing programs similar to MoGo.
Nuskowski shared that the program will be funded half through user fares and half through other sources. The project will cost approximately $2 million to get off the ground, and somewhere around $1 million a year to operate on an ongoing basis.
The project is a partnership between the City of Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), PBSC Urban Solutions and Shift Transit. DDOT helped secure the federal non-motorized transit funding for MoGo, as well as selected the system’s equipment provider and operator. Henry Ford Health System and Health Alliance Plan are corporate sponsors.
