The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) launched RTC Bike Share last year and is celebrating the first birthday with major milestones.

With 21 stations and 180 bikes located throughout downtown Las Vegas, RTC Bike Share has been a popular transportation option with more than 9,000 passes sold in its inaugural year of operation. In the first year alone, riders completed over 18,000 rides, spanning nearly 60,000 miles while burning more than 2.3 million calories. As a result, users were able to eliminate over 56,000 lbs. of carbon monoxide from the valley.

One organization took notice of the healthy benefits of bike share. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) last month partnered with the RTC for a one-year sponsorship to brand 10 RTC Bike Share bikes that will travel the downtown area until next winter. The specially-branded bikes can be found at any of the 21 stations.

“This program is a prime example of how people can incorporate active transportation into their daily lives to boost their activity levels, lead healthier lives, and contribute to healthier communities,” said Dr. Michael Johnson, Director of Community Health Division for the Southern Nevada Health District. “We are pleased to partner with the RTC on this project and to contribute to a program that provides our residents and visitors the opportunity to bike share as a way to be active and make connections with family and friends while discovering all the great amenities Southern Nevada has to offer.”

To celebrate bike share’s first birthday, the RTC is inviting the community to participate in these activities:

New Station Location Survey

Following a full year of operations, the RTC is evaluating potential new locations for bike share stations within the downtown Las Vegas area. The RTC is seeking community feedback on specific locations including: Plaza Hotel on Carson Avenue, Stratosphere Hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard, Regional Justice Center on Lewis Avenue, El Cortez Hotel on 6^th Street and Las Vegas Medical District on Alta Drive and Shadow Lane.

The quick, two-question survey will be available until Nov. 30, 2017, and comments received will be used to assess the locations for new bike share stations. To participate in the survey, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RTCbikeshare

Gold Bike

A special gold bike will make its first appearance at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop bike share station on Las Vegas Boulevard today and will be made available for bike share riders. Unicorn bikes, or bikes that exist within the system but have a custom design, are gaining popularity in other cities across the country, and the one-year anniversary is a great opportunity to introduce this concept to downtown Las Vegas.

The RTC will offer clues to its location on its social media accounts and encourage bike share users to find the gold bike. Users who post a photo of themselves riding the gold bike with the hashtags #RTCBikeShare #VegasGoesGold will be entered to win prizes such as Vegas Golden Knights tickets, free bike share rides and other giveaways.

$1 Promotion

Starting today, residents and tourists can take advantage of a special one-year anniversary promotion and partake in the birthday celebration by purchasing a 30-day bike share pass for $1 for the first month when selecting the auto-renew option. Users can use promo code: BDAY1 at check out to receive the first month’s discount. All subsequent months will be charged at the regular price of $20 per month. The promotion will run until Sunday, Dec. 31, and is only available on the RTC Bike Share website.

Birthday Party

To finish the celebration in style, the RTC will host a birthday party at the green space inside the Downtown Container Park from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. The party will include music, entertainment, food and a raffle for a free one-year bike share membership.

The event will conclude with a free community bike ride during the First Friday festivities. This event is free and open to all.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is offering a sizzling promotion this summer with 24-hour bike share passes for only $4, a 50-percent discount. Beginning Fourth of July weekend through Labor Day tourists and locals can enjoy unlimited 30-minute rides for 24 hours directly from a bike share kiosk.

Currently, 24-hour passes are available only online for $8, but beginning July 1, riders can extend their time in the sun with 24-hour passes directly from any of the 21 station kiosks in downtown Las Vegas for the discounted price.

Single-ride passes will not be available during the summer promotion but instead will be replaced with the 24-hour pass for the same price, providing added value to the bike share rider.

With more than a thousand trips being logged each month, RTC Bike Share is a popular choice for locals and visitors. This promotion provides an additional benefit to current riders and incentivizes new users during the summer months.

In honor of National Bike Month, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is encouraging residents and visitors to celebrate with half-off pricing on all RTC Bike Share passes.

Throughout the month of May, RTC Bike Share single-ride passes will be available for $2 (regularly $4), 24-hour passes for $4 (regularly $8) and 30-day memberships for $10 (regularly $20). All 30-day members who sign up for auto-renewal online will also receive half-off their monthly membership for the rest of the year.

National Bike Month is an opportunity to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and encourage more community members to try riding a bike, if they don’t use it as a regular means of transportation. RTC Bike Share is a great way to try cycling, without having to purchase any equipment; thus, helping the environment and wallet.

With growing awareness around its health and wellness benefits, sustainability and economic savings, bicycling can be seen as a simple solution to increasing mobility options for the valley. The RTC encourages the use of various transportation modes that help reduce the valley’s traffic congestion and improve air quality, and the bike share program aims to do exactly that with 180 bikes and 21 stations conveniently located throughout downtown Las Vegas.

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is helping lovers celebrate this Valentine’s Day with a sweet deal all month long. The 30-day RTC Bike Share memberships will be available for 50 percent off starting tomorrow, Feb. 14 until March 14 with the promo code: SWEET14.

The 30-day memberships must be purchased online, as station kiosks offer single ride purchases only. Priced at $10, the discounted membership allows users to check out a bike for 30 minutes at a time, for an unlimited amount of trips during 30 days, without being charged an extra fee. Additionally, monthly users enjoy a speedier checkout process, as they receive a special membership card used to check out a bike directly from the dock instead of going through the checkout process each time at a station kiosk. Current 30-day members enrolled in auto-renewal will automatically receive the discount in the next month’s payment.

With 21 stations conveniently located in downtown Las Vegas, RTC Bike Share is an easy way for customers to ride to and from the many restaurants, bars and shops the area has to offer.

City and federal leaders joined the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to officially launch the RTC Bike Share program in downtown Las Vegas. The launch included the declaration of Thursday, Oct. 27 as “Bike Share Day” and announcement of a special offer – half off all single-ride passes through the Dec. 31, 2016.

Held at the RTC Bike Share station on Third Street and Stewart Avenue by Downtown Grand’s The Commissary, the event highlighted the numerous aspects of the system. Bike sharing is a fun, inexpensive, and convenient way to travel around and see downtown Las Vegas for both residents and visitors alike.

City of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, who serves on the RTC board of commissioners, presented the “Bike Share Day” proclamation. To top off the celebration, several dozen cyclists dressed up as Elvis rode in on RTC Bike Share bikes to commemorate the system launch in the heart of Las Vegas.

Now with a 50-percent discount on single rides, users have even more incentive to try bike sharing. Bikes are available for 30-minute single rides for $4, and the half-price discount slashes that to $2 for the remainder of the year. Users can also purchase 24-hour passes for $8 and 30-day memberships for $20 online.

Rep. Dina Titus of the 1^st Congressional District said, “The RTC Bike Share program is a great addition to the District’s robust transportation network which includes a multimodal transit system, complete sidewalks for pedestrians, and dedicated bike lanes.”

In total, 21 bike share stations throughout downtown hold 180 sleek bikes that residents, visitors and downtown employees can check out at one station and return to another station near their final destination.

“This is a historic day for our city,” said Goodman. “Working with the RTC and its bike share contractors, we are doing what progressive cities do to provide alternative forms of transportation that encourage healthy activity and a greener environment. This program perfectly complements the hundreds of dedicated green bike lanes in downtown Las Vegas.”

RTC Bike Share is an affordable, convenient and easy-to-use transportation alternative for trips that are too long to walk and too short to drive. The region’s first public bike share program highlights the RTC’s commitment to support all modes of transportation and meet consumer demand. RTC Bike Share is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep up with the city that never sleeps.

Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino Chairman Seth Schorr was also on hand to emphasize that bike sharing is a great new amenity for visitors, residents and employees in the downtown area.

RTC Bike Share is funded by a $1 million Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality improvement (CMAQ) grant from the Federal Highway Administration, which subsidizes state and local projects.

Las Vegas is the latest city to bring bike share to its community, further enhancing transportation options for residents and the world-class experience for millions of visitors. Over the weekend, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) and its partners Bicycle Transit Systems (Bike Transit) and BCycle launched RTC Bike Share, the valley’s first public bike share system in downtown Las Vegas.

RTC Bike Share provides a convenient and easy-to-use transportation alternative to short trips in the downtown area where users can check out a bike from one station and return it to another station near their final destination. With 21 stations at popular locations downtown and 180 bikes available 24 hours a day, bike share will provide a new alternative for residents, commuters and tourists to travel.

Priced at $4 for a 30-minute ride, $8 for a 24-hour pass and $20 for a 30-day membership, RTC Bike Share is an inexpensive way to make trips that are too long to walk, but too short to drive. As part of the 24-hour pass and 30-day membership, users can check out a bike for 30 minutes at a time, for as many trips as their pass duration allows, without being charged an extra fee.

“The RTC Bike Share program demonstrates our progressive approach to multimodal transportation,” said Tina Quigley, RTC general manager. “The RTC is committed to promoting cycling as a more sustainable transportation option, and bike share is a fun and convenient way to get people outdoors and see the city.”

The program complements downtown Las Vegas’ dedicated green bike lanes and is the latest addition to the RTC’s current cycling initiatives, including the state-of-the-art bike center at the Bonneville Transit Center and hundreds of miles of bike routes throughout the valley.

Bicycle Transit Systems will operate RTC Bike Share station maintenance and customer service.

“Our team launched and operated large bike share programs since bike share first began in the U.S., so we’ve seen a lot and learned a few things,” said Alison Cohen, Bike Transit CEO. “Downtown Las Vegas has a unique combination of high transit ridership, a mix of tourists and residents and, of course, great biking weather that makes it ideal for the kinds of short, spontaneous trips that bike share provides. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with RTC and BCycle to help make bike share a success in downtown Las Vegas.”

The Las Vegas system brings the total number of communities with a BCycle system in the United States and South America to 42. BCycle currently has more than 1,250 stations and 10,200 bikes on the ground in North and South America.

Las Vegas joins Philadelphia and Los Angeles in using BCycle’s 2.0 bikes and stations. The 2.0 next-generation station features an intuitive kiosk and an updated aesthetic design while the 2.0 bicycle is lighter than the first-generation bike. All BCycle bikes are designed by Waterloo, Wisc.-based Trek.

“The 2.0 system’s proven technology and high-quality aesthetic will complement the high ridership expected of both resident and tourist users in Las Vegas,” said BCycle President Bob Burns. “It has been a pleasure working with RTC and Bike Transit to bring bike share to Southern Nevada. We’re pleased to welcome Las Vegas into the rapidly growing BCycle family of bike share systems.”