Kaiser Permanente Continues as Founding Funder; Frontier Airlines Becomes “Official Airline” of Denver B-cycle

Denver B-cycle today announced that 30 new stations will be installed in the coming months, expanding its service to new neighborhoods beyond its current base and nearly doubling the square miles covered by the shared bicycle system. The Denver B-cycle fleet will grow to over 700.

Among the 30 new stations, three are already installed in high-visibility locations-The Denver Zoo, The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and the Auraria Campus. All will be in service when the 2013 season opens on Monday, March 18.

Residents of the following neighborhoods will find one or more new stations near them: West Highland, Highland, Jefferson Park, Union Station, Five Points, North Capitol Hill, City Park West, City Park, Congress Park, Cheesman Park, Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Baker, Speer and Auraria. The new station locations have been selected specifically to complement high-use transit locations with most of them being located close to or within a mile of a bus or light rail stop.

“In just a few short years, the opening of Denver B-cycle’s season has become a rite of spring for the Mile High City-as welcome as the first tulip,” said Mayor Michael B. Hancock during a morning news conference at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. “The expansion plans mean that the city is embracing this simple, sustainable and powerful concept and I applaud the many community partners and corporate sponsors who have come together to make this expansion possible. Riding a bike is better for our environment and better for our collective fitness and Denver B-cycle is playing a major role on both of these important issues.”

Mayor Hancock said Denver must remain a global leader as a bike-friendly city.

“As the Capitol of the least obese state in the nation, with more sunshine and a more navigable street network than any of our competitors, there is no reason why Denver can’t push to the top of national and global rankings for bike friendliness in the coming years,” said Mayor Hancock.

Partners & Sponsors

In addition to the expansion, Denver B-cycle announced the return of presenting sponsor Kaiser Permanente and a new, three-year commitment from Frontier Airlines, now the “official airline” of Denver B-cycle.

“We would not be where we are today, on the threshold of a major expansion and looking ahead to an exciting 2013 season, without the wide variety of community partners and businesses that recognize the importance of the shared bicycle network and the opportunity it represents to change the way we move around the city,” said Parry Burnap, executive director of Denver B-cycle. “We appreciate Kaiser Permanente, Frontier and all our sponsors and underwriters for their critical support.”

The Denver B-cycle program has grown by leaps and bounds and it’s exciting to see so many residents and visitors traveling around our beautiful city by bicycle, ” said Donna Lynne, DrPh, president of Kaiser Permanente Colorado. “We are proud to continue our support for this program as part of our commitment to improving community health.”

Frontier Airlines’ Daniel Shurz, senior vice president, commercial said the airline’s three-year commitment to Denver B-cycle is a natural fit. “We offer friendly baggage policies that encourage our passengers to bring their bicycles when they travel and we are committed to improving the quality of life in Denver on every level. We welcome the chance to be corporate partners with Denver B-cycle and believe the shared bicycle system is poised to grow for many years to come.”

Funding for New Stations

Twenty-seven of the new stations are possible because Denver Bike Sharing has been awarded capital funding through major two public grants matched by local foundations: Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program (TCSP) awarded by the Federal Highway Administration, and Funding Advancements for Surface Transportation and Economic Recovery (FASTER) awarded by the Colorado Transportation Commission. Denver’s Anschutz Foundation and Gates Family Foundation provided the local match.

The two City Park stations were privately funded with donations from the Walton Family Foundation, the Piton Foundation, Encana, the Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; the Auraria station was funded by the Auraria Campus Sustainable Campus Program.

About Denver Bike Sharing

Denver B-cycle is presented by Kaiser Permanente in association with a variety of community sponsors. Denver B-cycle is owned and operated by Denver Bike Sharing, a charitable, non-profit organization.

Denver Bike Sharing serves as a catalyst for a fundamental transformation in thinking and behavior by operating a bike sharing system in Denver to enhance mobility while promoting all aspects of sustainability: quality of life, equity, the environment, economic development, and public health.

To learn more about Denver Bike Sharing, the owner and operator of Denver B-cycle, visit denver.bcycle.com or call 303-825-3325.