AGENDA CAPTION:
Title
Receive a presentation and hold discussion regarding provision of dockless bike sharing services in San Marcos.
Body
Meeting date: 2/6/2018
Department: CMO - Kevin Burke, Economic Development & Downtown Administrator
Amount & Source of Funding
Funds Required: N/A
Account Number: N/A
Funds Available: N/A
Account Name: N/A
Fiscal Note:
Prior Council Action: September 5, 2017 discussion regarding potential agreement with Spin bike sharing company.
City Council Goal:
Goal #2 Beautify & Enhance the Quality of Place
Goal #8 Provide efficient & effective delivery of services
Choose an item.
Comprehensive Plan Element (s):
☒ Economic Development - Opportunity created by Capital of University, Business, Civic, & Cultural Leaders
☐ Environment & Resource Protection - Choose an item.
☐ Land Use - Choose an item.
☐ Neighborhoods & Housing - Choose an item.
☐ Parks, Public Spaces & Facilities - Choose an item.
☒ Transportation - Multimodal transportaion network to improve accessibility and mobility, minimize congestion and reduce pollution
☐ Not Applicable
Master Plan:
Transportation Master Plan
Background Information:
Staff will provide a brief presentation regarding the provision of dockless bike sharing services in San Marcos, specifically detailing the City’s collaborate efforts with Texas State University.
The benefits of increased cycling are clear: Increased mobility for pedestrians and those using public transit, fewer trips by car resulting in less congestion, and perhaps over the long-run, a positive impact on community health.
Dockless bike sharing presents a viable tactic to rapidly increase cycling mode share in San Marcos; however, there are constraints. The second generation of dockless bike share technology has set off an intense global competition, with a handful of upstart companies fighting for market share. The unintended consequences of that competition have been well publicized: Bicycles left laying in the middle of the sidewalk, bicycles interfering with ADA accessibility, bicycles hanging from trees, and bicycles at the bottom of man-made lakes.
Together, the City of San Marcos and Texas State University recommend proceeding with caution after witnessing highly publicized, and much criticized, dockless roll-outs in other Texas cities. Rather than allow multiple dockless companies to commence operations, without permits or regulatory guidelines, we have developed a joint-RFP with our partners at Texas State, and are seeking a single company to operate a bike share system City-wide, at no cost to the City or University.
We believe it is in the public interest to begin with one, highly-qualified provider, taking a “go-slow” approach to this highly-dynamic industry. From the Draft RFP: “Texas State University (TXST) and the City of San Marcos (CoSM) desire to enter into a Contract with one or more qualified, capable and experienced firm(s) to provide…an on-demand dockless bicycle share system with a web-enabled software application.”
Council Committee, Board/Commission Action:
None.
Alternatives:
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Recommendation:
Staff recommends issuing a joint Request for Proposals with Texas State University, evaluating respondents and negotiating a contract for City Council approval.