Community Developments

A little over eight weeks after its launch, the RIDE Solutions bikeshare program has seen incredible success – reaching its annual membership goals of 1,000 members and delivering over 2,600 trips in just two months.

The system launched this spring with 9 stations in the Roanoke Valley, focused primarily in the downtown area and the surrounding neighborhoods. Since then, the 50 bikes in the system have been used 2,972 times by 1,174 members. Use has been so popular that RIDE Solutions already has plans to expand the system in two phases this fall and winter – adding three stations in the Crystal Spring Village, Riverside Center, and at Soaring Ridge Craft Brewing this fall; at an additional downtown station near the Market Building in February of 2018. The four new stations will bring an additional 20 bicycles into the bikeshare network.

How Does It Work?

For folks who have not yet had a chance to use the system, accessing it is easy:

1.  Download the Zagster app to your Android or iOS device, or create an account at zagster.com/ridesolutions.

2.  Select your membership level: 

• Hourly: Rent bikes at any time for $3 an hour.
• Annual: For $40 a year, annual members can take unlimited trips, and the first hour of every trip is free.
• Student: Students of Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Hollins University, Roanoke College, Virginia Western Community College, and the Virginia-Tech Carilion School of Medicine receive half-off the standard annual membership.
• Resident: Residents of RGM Properties, Lofts at West Station, 416 Microfarms, Parkway 601, Allegheny Partners, and Garland Properties receive FREE membership as part of their residential amenities.

3.  Approach any Zagster station in the system and select “Start riding” in your app, or text the bike number of your chosen bike to the phone number on the station sign.



4.  Start riding! Return the bike to the same station or any station in the system.
It’s that easy.

Zagster bikes are perfect for everything from a quick greenway ride during lunch to an evening shopping trip, or even catching a movie or concert on the weekend.  

Growing the Network

Bikeshare by RIDE Solutions is supported by local sponsors. Businesses who are interested in having a station located near them, property managers who want to offer free membership to their residents, and community-minded businesses interested in helping grow this fantastic amenity across the Roanoke Valley can email RIDE Solutions Director Jeremy Holmes to learn more.