More People Have Access to Bike Share Thanks to This 12-Year Partnership
Over the past 12 years, the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) worked toward a simple idea: everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from bike share and shared mobility, regardless of income, background, or access to technology.
While the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) is winding down this summer due to a lack of funding, the work it helped spark is far from finished. The ideas, partnerships, and practices it championed continue to shape more accessible and inclusive shared mobility systems across America.
As the partnership concludes its work this summer, its impact can be seen in communities across North America. What began as an effort to address barriers to bike share access helped reshape an entire industry, turning ideas that were once considered innovative into standard practice.
Launched in 2014 by the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and PeopleForBikes, BBSP helped communities create more accessible, community-informed shared mobility systems through grants, research, technical assistance, and peer learning. Supported by The JPB Foundation, the partnership awarded 125 grants across 59 U.S. cities, helping local leaders test new ideas and expand access to transportation options.
When BBSP began, many bike share systems unintentionally excluded people who could benefit most from affordable transportation. Today, discounted fare programs, cash payment options, community partnerships, and more inclusive system design are common features across much of the shared mobility industry.
"One of the most important things BBSP demonstrated is that when communities have the tools, partnerships, and support to make bike share work for more people, participation grows," said Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes.
"Over the last 12 years, this partnership helped scale ideas that were once experimental into everyday practice. The result is a stronger shared mobility ecosystem that gives more people access to transportation, recreation, and opportunity."
The partnership's influence extended far beyond individual programs. Through initiatives such as the Transportation Justice Fellowship and Living Lab program, BBSP invested in leaders, strengthened community organizations, and created opportunities for cities, operators, and advocates to learn from one another. It also helped build a stronger, more connected shared mobility community across North America.
During BBSP's tenure, annual shared micromobility trips grew from 157 million in 2019 to more than 225 million in 2024. The industry evolved from primarily dock-based bike share systems toinclude dockless bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, and expanded transportation networks that serve a broader range of communities and travel needs.
"Cities and transportation practitioners across North America have been challenged, supported, and encouraged by the Better Bike Share Partnership," said Ryan Russo, executive director of NACTO.
"By developing best practice publications, enabling peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, and catalyzing leadership among people of color, BBSP's work will continue to impact our field and result in more just transportation systems in cities coast to coast."
Today, organizations across the country are better equipped with the tools, data, and experience needed to expand access to shared mobility. The partnership's legacy will continue through the leaders, organizations, and communities carrying this work forward.
"BBSP has played a critical role in the transformation of shared micromobility by helping cities address systemic barriers to access for low-income and historically underserved communities," said Waffiyyah Murray, Indego program manager at the City of Philadelphia.
"As a result, the industry has evolved to a place where equity is at the center of system design and operations, not as an afterthought, but as a core principle. That shift is due in large part to BBSP's leadership and sustained investment in this work."
While the Better Bike Share Partnership is concluding, PeopleForBikes, NACTO, and partners across the transportation sector remain committed to expanding access, supporting innovation, and strengthening transportation networks that connect more people to opportunity.
About The Partners
PeopleForBikes is the U.S. bicycle industry's trade association and a national bicycle advocacy nonprofit, representing more than 340 bicycle industry brands and 1.4 million individual supporters. Through our three areas of influence — infrastructure, policy, and participation —we accelerate the construction of safe and connected places to ride, advance pro-bike and pro-bike-business legislation, and reduce barriers to welcome more people to bicycling. Our goal: help make the U.S. the best place in the world to ride a bike. Support our work and learn more at peopleforbikes.org.
The City of Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) drives change through Philadelphia’s transportation and infrastructure. Leading a group of departments and divisions that includes the Indego Bike Share Program, Office of Multimodal Planning, which manages many initiatives of the City’s Complete Streets Program, Vision Zero PHL, and more. OTIS also works with local and national organizations to advance the City’s interests.
Through its policies and programs, providing cost-effective, quality services with a focus on residents.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) is an association of North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and best practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. They are connecting and mobilizing North American cities and transit agencies toward safe, sustainable, and accessible transportation.The North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) provides resources, education, and advocacy for the shared micromobility industry, and creates spaces for the industry’s public, private, and nonprofit sectors to convene and empower one another.
They collaborate across sectors to grow shared micromobility and its benefits to communities, creating a more accessible and sustainable transportation ecosystem.
