PeaceHealth’s bikeshare program for Eugene and Springfield logged its one millionth ride Wednesday. The service first launched in 2018.
The milestone comes as the program reports recently breaking its ridership records, with more than 9,200 rides during a single week this month.
Cascadia Mobility, the Eugene-based nonprofit that operates the program, partially credits a recent expansion into Springfield for the boost in ridership.
Executive Director Brodie Hylton said the recent return of university students has also contributed, as they make up the majority of the service's customers. And he said travelers attracted to recent UO football games helped, too.
“This experiment is a six year pilot project to demonstrate the utility and value of bike share in this community, said Hylton. "And I think we've seen a lot of changes here. We've seen our highest three weeks of ridership ever. We see an increase in bicycle infrastructure.”
Moving forward, Hylton said he hopes to expand the service area within Springfield. He also said the program is considering adding e-bikes to its fleet in the future, and its currently discussing potential funding sources with the Lane Transit District.
