Raleigh temporarily suspends bikeshare program after contractor declares bankruptcy

Cardinal Bikeshare, Raleigh’s self-service bicycle rental system, has been suspended while the city brings on a new contractor.

Bewegen Technologies Inc., the company that has maintained and operated the bikeshare system since its inception, has declared bankruptcy in Canada, according to the city. Raleigh has brought on Corps Logistics to take over.

Bikes won’t be available to rent during the transition, which the city says could take up to 30 days. It expects Cardinal Bikeshare will be up and running again by May 16.

To welcome people back, the city says rides will be free for everyone for 60 days.

Cardinal Bikeshare has about 340 bicycles docked at 32 stations. Most of those are inside the Beltline, though the most popular station is at the N.C. Museum of Art. Nearly 70% of the bikes are equipped with electric-assist motors that give riders a boost when pedaling.

The system was launched in the spring of 2019 as Citrix Cycle and rebranded last spring as Cardinal Bikeshare. Since the beginning, people have taken more than 160,000 rides using the bicycles, according to the system website.

For information about Cardinal Bikeshare, including a map of stations, go to cardinalbikeshare.com/.