Excel's Coffee Shop

[excel]

We've got many people out of work, the homeless population worse then ever, but hey put 1.4 million into a program that is BK because the PC CESS POOL thinks people are going to bike in the rain and up hills.

If they want to bike let them BUY one!

Oh no common sense again can't have that in the land of ENTITLEMENT!!!

This people running this CESS POOL need to get on the first ship with a leak.





Seattle's bike sharing system in financial trouble
Ted Land, KING 5 News
4:37 p.m. PST January 31, 2016


The Seattle City Council this week will start talking about what it can do to save Pronto, the bike sharing system with stations in dozens of neighborhoods.

Without the city's help, Pronto might have to cease operations.

Documents filed with the city council state that there are ongoing operating losses and the system is currently insolvent.

The city says there are several reasons for this, including high overhead costs, a lack of funds to buy equipment, and expenses related to ongoing debt.

The city council transportation committee will discuss a proposal on Tuesday which would allow the Seattle Department of Transportation to buy Pronto from its nonprofit owner for $1.4 million.

“The current system will not be operational in early 2016 without intervention,” a summary and fiscal note states.

Riders like Eric Templin wish it didn't have to come to this.

“That's a lot of money to throw into it. It would be really nice if it could sustain itself for memberships,” he said before checking out a bike from a Capitol Hill station, Sunday.

Pronto launched in October 2014 with the goal of convincing commuters to try one of the bright green bikes. But bike sharing, which is popular in other cities, faces unique challenges in Seattle, like a helmet law, lots of elevation gain and of course the weather.

“I don't think it's been popular enough to survive as it is,” said Virgil Alonso, who was considering renting a bike, Sunday.

There is still a proposal to expand the system next year, adding more bike stations, and even possibly introducing electric bikes to help people up all those hills.

The city hopes that by 2018, after an expansion, the Pronto system will recovering 100 percent of its operating expenses from sponsorships and fees.