Lancaster is enhancing its Bike It Lancaster bicycle sharing service, adding e-bikes and expanding the program’s footprint into neighboring municipalities.
Recently, the city added 25 e-bikes to the inventory of conventional bicycles offered at Bike It docking stations. Customers with annual Bike It memberships can rent e-bikes for $1.50 for the first hour; for non-members, they are $3 for 30 minutes.
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Memberships cost $25 a year and entitle riders to free rides of up to one hour on the system’s conventional bicycles. Rides longer than that are billed at $1.50 per half-hour.
Meanwhile, the city has signed agreements with Manheim Township and East Lampeter Township to expand Bike It Lancaster into their jurisdictions. So far, three docking stations have been added in Manheim Township, at the
Stehli Silk Mill, Stauffer Park and Foundry Apartments.
A fourth docking station will be installed shortly in East Lampeter Township at St. Joseph University, formerly Pa. College of Health Sciences. The university and city are confirming the exact location on campus and it will be installed once that decision is finalized, city Environmental Planner Karl Graybill said.
That addition will bring the total number of stations to 19. Further expansion of the docking station network is planned through 2028, ultimately yielding 36 stations with 180 bicycles and e-bikes, Graybill said.
“Expanding Bike It Lancaster into neighboring communities and introducing e-bikes aligns with our mission to offer active transportation options and improve mobility for all,” Mayor Danene Sorace said in a statement.
“We’re excited to see this program grow and connect even more people to places in and around Lancaster.”
Bike It by the numbers
Bike It Lancaster was launched in 2017. The city’s current vendor is Tandem Mobility.
Initially, the system was funded through sponsorships. While that remains a revenue source, most of the funding currently comes from a federal Department of Transportation reimbursement program that supports emission reduction initiatives.
Known as CMAQ funding, for “Congestion Management & Air Quality,” it is allocated and administered locally by the Lancaster County Metropolitan Planning Organization, a coalition that oversees the county’s transportation planning and funding.
Through 2025, CMAQ is providing 80% of Bike It Lancaster’s budget. The city and participating townships are responsible for the remaining 20%, potentially offset by sponsorships and user fees. The Bike It Lancaster website currently lists Franklin & Marshall College and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health as sponsors.
In 2023, the Bike It Lancaster budget was $121,000, with $96,800 coming from CMAQ, according to a pro forma Graybill provided to One United Lancaster. For 2024, that increases to $286,500, with $229,000 coming from CMAQ.
The majority of the funding goes toward maintaining the bicycles and docking stations, with the remainder ($20,000, or 7% in 2024) going toward marketing.
In 2023, Bike It Lancaster patrons took 1,331 trips, or 111 per month. At $121,000 overall, that works out to $91 per ride. Ridership has increased in 2024: Through October, riders had taken 1,696 trips, up 43% over the same period last year.
After 2025, CMAQ funding gradually winds down, reaching $0 in 2031. At that point, the program is projected to cost $716,600.
