ValleyBike_2020 Year End 2020 Report-PVPC
FINAL REPORT
Prepared in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway
Administration and the Federal Transit Administration - U.S. Department of Transportation. The views and
opinions of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of
the U.S. Department of Transportation.
2020
This report summarizes the usage patterns and trends of the ValleyBike
regional bicycle sharing system during calendar year 2020. It documents
how Year 3 of the system compares to previous years and the impact of
the COVID 19 pandemic on operations. ValleyBike began year round
operation for the first time in 2020 and usage data shows encouraging
results on how residents are continuing to take advantage of bicycle
sharing in the Pioneer Valley Region.
Report on
Year 3
If information is needed in another language, please contact the PVPC Title VI Specialist by phone at
(413) 781-6045.
Caso esta informação seja necessária em outro idioma, favor contar o Especialista em Título VI do PVPC
pelo fone 413-781-6045.”
Si necesita información en otro lenguaje, favor contactar al especialista de MassDOT del Título VI al 413 -
781-6045.
如果需要使用其它语言了解信息，请联系马萨诸塞州交通部（PVPC）《民权法》第六章专职人员，电话
413-781-6045
如果需要使用其它語言了解信息，請聯系馬薩諸塞州交通部（PVPC）《民權法》第六章專職人員，電話
413-781-6045
Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
2020: ValleyBike in its Third Year .................................................................................................... 6
Year to Year Comparison ............................................................................................................. 6
History of Bikeshare in the Pioneer Valley ................................................................................... 10
Membership Types ....................................................................................................................... 11
Utilization and Trends ................................................................................................................... 12
Peak Service Period ................................................................................................................... 12
Daily Trends ............................................................................................................................... 13
Duration of Rides ....................................................................................................................... 15
Station Wide Data ......................................................................................................................... 15
Top Ten Stations ........................................................................................................................ 16
Round Trips................................................................................................................................ 17
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality ......................................................................................... 20
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 22
Table 1: Existing ValleyBike Stations ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Table 2: ValleyBike Stations by Community ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Table 3: Total Monthly Rides in 2020 ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Table 4: Total Rides and Average Distance for Each Year ................................................................................................................. 9
Table 5: Membership and Purchase Types ..................................................................................................................................... 11
Table 6: Station Wide Data ............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Table 7: Top Ten Origin of Ride Stations ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Table 8: Type of Trips ...................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Table 9: Top Ten Round Trip Stations ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Figure 1: Amherst ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Figure 2: Northampton ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Figure 3: Easthampton, Holyoke, and South Hadley ......................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 4: Springfield .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 5: Monthly Rides Compared by Year...................................................................................................................................... 7
Figure 6: Monthly Average Distance Travelled per Ride in Miles Compared by Year ....................................................................... 7
Figure 7: Average Number of Rides per Bike .................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 8: 15 Day Intervals for Total Number of Rides ..................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 9: Comparing Peak Service Times between 2018, 2019, and 2020 ...................................................................................... 13
Figure 10: Daily Trends ................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 11: Time of Day .................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Figure 12: Duration of Rides in 15 Minute Intervals ....................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 13: Average Rides per Station per Community .................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 14: Round Trips per Station and Average Ride Length in Miles ........................................................................................... 19
1
INTRODUCTION
ValleyBike, the bikeshare program for the Pioneer Valley Region was developed as a result of
the culmination and realization of state, regional and municipal goals articulated in the 2020
Update to the Pioneer Valley Regional Transportation Plan and the region’s 2014 sustainability
plan, Our Next Future. Bikeshare is an integral component of the region’s path to establish a
regenerative and sustainable future. ValleyBike strives to promote healthy habits amongst the
residents in the region and contributes to reductions in air pollution by lowering greenhouse
gas emitting vehicle trips. If managed effectively and expanded appropriately, ValleyBike could
potentially mitigate the need for expensive road repairs and expansions. It also has the
potential to dramatically improve the effectiveness of our region’s chronically under-funded
transit system. ValleyBike represents one of the lowest costs per passenger mile travel modes
compared to other available active transportation systems in the Valley.
The current bikeshare system comprises a network of 53 stations across 6 communities
(Amherst, Easthampton, Holyoke, Northampton, South Hadley and Springfield). The
locations/names of these stations or kiosks within each community are summarized in Table 1.
The terms charging stations, docking stations, docks, kiosks, or simply stations are used to
describe these facilities. These locations provide state of the art electric bikes which can be
signed out at the kiosks located along stations or with the help of the ValleyBike Mobile App.
Figures 1 – 4 depict maps of communities with Bike Stations
Figure 1: Amherst
Figure 2: Northampton
Figure 3: Easthampton, Holyoke, and South Hadley
Figure 4: Springfield
4
Table 1: Existing ValleyBike Stations
Community Station
Number Station Name
Amherst 101 Amherst Town Hall
Amherst 104 East Hadley Road
Amherst 102 Kendrick Park
Amherst 103 North Pleasant Street
Amherst 110 UMass Central Residential Area
Amherst 106 UMass Haigis Mall
Amherst 108 UMass ILC
Amherst 109 UMass Knowlton
Amherst 107 UMass Southwest
Amherst 105 University Drive
Easthampton 603 City Hall
Easthampton 602 Old Town Hall
Easthampton 601 Rail Trail @ Millside Park
Easthampton 604 Rail Trail @ Union Street
Holyoke 204 Depot Square
Holyoke 205 Downtown
Holyoke 209 Holyoke Community College
Holyoke 206 Holyoke Medical Center Station at Library Sq.
Holyoke 202 Mackenzie Field
Holyoke 208 Pleasant Station
Holyoke 207 South Holyoke
Holyoke 203 Springdale Park
Holyoke 201 The Pedlar Station/Crosier Field
Northampton 306 Cooley Dickinson Health Care
Northampton 302 Florence Bank Station
Northampton 305 Florence Center
Northampton 304 Forbes Library
Community Station
Number Station Name
Northampton 311 Jackson Street
Northampton 307 John M Greene Hall/Smith College
Northampton 313 Main Street/Bridge Street
Northampton 312 Main Street/Court House
Northampton 314 Northampton High School
Northampton 309 Northampton Train Station
Northampton 308 Pulaski Park/Downtown
Northampton 310 State St/Mass Central Rail Trail
Northampton 301 Village Hill/State Hospital
Northampton 303 YMCA/Childs Park
South Hadley 401 Eink Station
South Hadley 402 Mount Holyoke College Station
South Hadley 403 Woodlawn Plaza
Springfield 507 Basketball Hall of Fame
Springfield 502 Baystate Health/Chestnut Street
Springfield 501 Baystate Health/Main Street
Springfield 505 CFWM @ Stearns Square Station
Springfield 506 Court Square
Springfield 503 Kenefick Park
Springfield 513 Live Well Springfield Station at Mercy Hosp.
Springfield 511 Mason Square Library
Springfield 504 Mercy Medical Center Station at Union St.
Springfield 509 MGM Springfield
Springfield 510 Pynchon Park/Museums
Springfield 512 South End/Main Street
Springfield 508 STCC - Springfield Armory
5
Table 2: ValleyBike Stations by Community
Community Number of
Stations
Northampton 14
Springfield 13
Amherst 10
Holyoke 9
Easthampton 4
South Hadley 3
Total 53
2020 : VALL EYBIKE IN ITS THIRD YEAR
The year 2020 was mired by pandemic and social distancing restrictions. As a result, the
ValleyBike program for its third season was delayed and started later in the year in the month
of June. The City of Springfield opted not to open their station during the 2020 calendar year
resulting in a lower number of available bicycles and stations across the system. However,
bicycles were made available for year-round use at many stations for the first time. In previous
years, the system operated from April – November. Utilization data shows some encouraging
results despite the uncertainties and changes experienced during the 2020 calendar year.
Table 3 summarizes the total number of rides per month and average distance travelled per
ride or average length of ride in miles. After opening in June, the bikeshare was widely utilized
throughout the summer reaching peak usage in August. There were more than a thousand rides
recorded each month even during the fall and early winter. These numbers are very
encouraging and indicate that the bikeshare program has gained a steady following. Patronage
in the region was consistently high despite the reduction in the number of available stations
from 53 to 40.
Table 3: Total Monthly Rides in 2020
Month
Total
Number of
Rides
Avg.
Distance
travelled
per Ride
in Miles
Average
number
of bikes
available
Rides/Bike
June 1,263 2.76 121 10.44
July 6,736 3.28 144 46.78
August 7,629 3.15 160 47.68
September 7,382 2.92 220 33.55
October 5,340 2.53 240 22.25
November 2,842 2.47 321 8.85
December 1,223 2.13 339 3.61
Total 32,415 2.75 221 24.74
YEAR TO YEAR COMPARI SON
When the total number of rides and average ride length (trip length) in miles are compared
between 2018, 2019, and 2020 it is observed that the Covid-19 Pandemic has a notable impact
on the utilization of the bikeshare service.
Figure 5: Monthly Rides Compared by Year
Figure 6: Monthly Average Distance Travelled per Ride in Miles Compared by Year
The number of total rides decreased in 2020 compared to 2019 . This is primarily due to the
COVID 19 Pandemic and lack of ValleyBike service in 2020 in the City of Springfield. After the
return of ValleyBike service in June of 2020 it is encouraging to see steady ridership levels in
July, August and September. In fact, monthly ridership levels in 2020 exceeded 2018 levels for
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
April May June July August September October November December
Monthly Average Trip Length in Miles Compared
Year to Year
2018 2019 2020
every month except September even without service in Springfield. The total system ridership
for 2020 was greater than ridership in 2018 but ultimately was over 50% lower than 2019
ridership.
Average trip lengths have increased in 2020 compared to 2019, even in fall and winter months.
This increase in trip length could be a result of people utilizing ValleyBike for more than
recreational purposes.
One index of a vigorously functioning and efficient bikeshare system is comparing the number
of rides per available bike. This measure was fairly consistent amongst all three years. This
indicates robust utilization and demand for the service. There were over 60 reported rides per
bicycle in September of 2018. This is almost equal to the total rides per bicycle in September of
2019 and September of 2020 combined. All total there were 152 reported bicycles available in
September of 2018 while 388 bicycles were available in September of 2019 and 220 in
September of 2020. The number of bikes available in the month of September increased from
year one and that resulted in a reduction of rides per bike; however there was a continuing
trend of strong utilization of available bikes.
Figure 7: Average Number of Rides per Bike
Table 4: Total Rides and Average Distance for Each Year
Month
Total Rides Average Distance
2018 2019 2020 2018 2019 2020
April N.A. 5,397 N.A. N.A. 2.6 N.A.
May N.A. 7,632 N.A. N.A. 3.27 N.A.
June 98 14,738 1,263 2.2 2.46 2.76
July 2,836 12,309 6,736 3.6 2.8 3.28
August 7,369 11,974 7,629 3.8 2.88 3.15
September 9,889 12,291 7,382 3 2.27 2.92
October 4,404 8,895 5,340 2.3 2.07 2.53
November 1,757 4,047 2,842 2 1.79 2.47
December N.A. N.A. 1,223 N.A. N.A. 2.13
Totals 26,353 77,283 32,415 3.1 2.56 2.75
N.A. - Not Applicable as service wasn't provided during those months
HISTORY OF BIKESHARE IN THE PIONEER VALLEY
2008: PVPC produces a Report on the state of bikeshare, 1968-2008 documenting types of
programs around the world. It includes the Yellow Bike program that existed at Hampshire
College as well as the Bixi (precursor to Bewegen) Bikeshare program in Montreal and
encourages Pioneer Valley municipalities to look into bikeshare.
2010: UMass Amherst launches a no-cost bikesharing program on campus funded by Student
Government fees.
Early 2012: Northampton Planning and Sustainability begins researching bicycle share for
Northampton.
Late 2012: Northampton Mayor Narkewicz approves a single Dero bike-share station in
downtown Northampton and the city raises part of the necessary funds.
Early 2013: Northampton determined that having a system that was not scaleable only made
sense if it wasn't possible to have a larger system, either city-wide or region wide.
Spring 2013: Northampton Planning and Amherst Sustainability discussed what a regional
system would look like.
2013-2015: PVPC secures a Massachusetts Clean Energy Center grant to work with the
communities of Amherst, Hadley, Easthampton and Holyoke to advance Clean Energy
Strategies, selecting advancement of a regional Bikeshare initiative as a priority for funding.
Late 2013: PVPC solicits partners for a state District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) funded
effort to advance regional bike share.
2014-2016: PVPC works with a group of member municipalities: Amherst, Holyoke,
Northampton, and Springfield, to research and advance regional bikesharing.
2016: Northampton, with PVPC and regional support, applies for and obtains Congestion
Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for regional bike share for four communities. This was later
amended to increase funding to five communities, adding South Hadley.
2017: Northampton, with PVPC and regional support and consensus, releases a bike share RFP
and awards the contract to Bewegen Technology for a 500-bike, 50-station, five municipality
system.
June 2018: ValleyBike Share opens.
November 2018: ValleyBike Share closes for the 2018 season.
December 2018: Easthampton obtains a Massachusetts Housing Choice grant for ValleyBike and
joins the regional consortium, growing it to six municipalities.
2019: A second CMAQ project to increase ValleyBike service and expand into Chicopee and
West Springfield receives funding.
2020: The ValleyBike program, delayed by the Covid-19 Pandemic, opens in June 2020. The City
of Springfield opts to keep their ValleyBike stations closed during the 2020 calendar year .
MEMBERSHIP TYPES
ValleyBike offered nine different types of memberships for sale during the 2020 season. The
rates and prices were similar to 2019. Most of the rides taken during 2020 were purchased by
occasional riders: those using Pay per Ride Passes (41.6%) or Day Passes (14.07%).
Table 5: Membership and Purchase Types
Membership or Purchase Type Total
Rides
Percent
of Total
Rides
Average
Ride
Length
Cost
Pay Per Ride Pass 13,486 41.60% 3.4 $2 registration at Kiosk, $2/ride
Monthly Membership 9,960 30.71% 2.5 $20/mo, for first 45 mins of each ride
Day Pass 4,564 14.07% 3.36 $6/day, unlimited 45 min trips per day
Access Pass 1,693 5.22% 2 $2/single trip
Student Annual Membership 1,104 3.41% 2.78 Discounted Rates
Founding Member 1,063 3.25% 3.29 $90/yr, first 60 mins of each ride included
Annual Membership 486 1.46% 2.87 $80/yr, first 45 mins of each ride included
Bike Friday Weekend Special 37 0.11% 2.54 Discounted Rates
Discounted Annual Membership 22 0.07% 1.14 Discounted Rates
A majority of ValleyBike riders (almost 80%) purchased their passes and memberships through
the mobile app. either via phone or computer, as opposed to at a kiosk. This has been the case
during the first and second year of service as well.
U TILIZATION AND TREND S
PEAK SERVICE PERIOD
The ValleyBike system attracts most riders during the summer months. PVPC distributed the
total numbers of rides into 15 day intervals starting from June 1 – December 26, 2020, the peak
time of service for ValleyBike in 2020 was during the months of August and September.
However, the longest trips were recorded during the end of June and beginning of July.
Figure 8: 15 Day Intervals for Total Number of Rides
When the monthly totals with average trip lengths are compared across all three years of
service it can be seen that June had both the most trips and longest rides. In 2019, the number
of rides and trip length was fairly consistent during the months of July, August, and September.
April May June July August September October November December
A decrease in use was observed during October and November. This data is consistent with the
expected user behavior influenced by the weather in the region.
Figure 9: Comparing Peak Service Times between 2018, 2019, and 2020
DAILY TRENDS
While ridership was fairly consistent over an average week during the 2020 season, the
bikeshare was utilized more during weekends, especially on Saturdays. This suggests that the
bicycles may have been used more for recreation than for commuting purposes. While the
number of rides steadily increased throughout the morning hours, most rides took place after
12 PM. The majority of rides occurred from 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
Figure 10: Daily Trends
Figure 11: Time of Day
DURATION OF RIDES
Nearly eighty percent of the total rides were of short duration, lasting 30 minutes or less.
However, some users did rent bikes for longer periods of time to go for lengthy rides as
evidenced by the figure below. Almost ninety percent of all rides were less than the 45 minute
time limit.
Figure 12: Duration of Rides in 15 Minute Intervals
STATION WIDE DATA
A total of 40 stations were open during the 2020 season of ValleyBike in the communities of
Amherst, Easthampton, Holyoke, Northampton, and South Hadley. Amherst, Northampton, and
Easthampton experienced the highest per station ridership.
Table 6: Station Wide Data
Community
Number
of
Stations
Total
Rides
Percent
of Total
Rides
Total
Round
Trips
Average
Rides Per
Station
Average
Round Trips
Per Station
Northampton 14 11,932 37.56% 3,554 852 254
Amherst 10 10,812 34.03% 3,281 1,081 328
Holyoke 9 5,180 16.31% 2,200 576 244
Easthampton 4 2,961 9.32% 1,072 740 268
South Hadley 3 884 2.78% 414 295 138
Figure 13: Average Rides per Station per Community
TOP TEN STATIONS
The Northampton Train Station was the top origin location for the most bikeshare rides in 2020.
This is very encouraging as one of the objectives of ValleyBike was to increase connectivity with
transit locations and other modes of transportation to increase the utilization of the system.
This location is also conveniently located in downtown Northampton in close proximity to the
shared use paths and commercial business district. The Town of Amherst had five locations in
the top 10 for total rides while the City of Northampton had four locations.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Average Number of Rides Per Station Per Community
Table 7: Top Ten Origin of Ride Stations
Rank Community Station Name
Total
Rides
Started
One
Way
Trips
1 Northampton Northampton Train Station 2519 1537
2 Amherst North Pleasant Street 2161 1267
3 Amherst Amherst Town Hall 1590 1021
4 Amherst UMass Knowlton 1248 989
5 Northampton State St/Mass Central Rail Trail 1247 980
6 Amherst Kendrick Park 1306 955
7 Northampton Pulaski Park/Downtown 1186 890
8 Northampton Florence Center 1141 833
9 Easthampton Rail Trail @ Millside Park 1225 819
10 Amherst University Drive 1062 818
ROUND TRIPS
Over 2/3rds of all rides using the ValleyBike system were one-way trips: rides that began and
ended at different stations. This suggests that people used the bikes for utilitarian purposes and
appreciated being able to drop their bikes at new stations, rather than holding onto them for
the entirety of their ride and dropping them back off at their point of origin.
The remaining 30% of rides were round trips. These are rides that had the same bike returned
to its original docking station at the end of the trip. A vast majority of these trips are of shorter
duration. The top round trip origin stations are many of the same locations that are in the
overall top ten for total rides. One notable exception was the Holyoke Medical Center Station
which ranked 4th in total round trip rides.
Table 8: Type of Trips
Type of Rides Number of Rides Percent of Rides
One Way 21,882 67.51%
Round Trip 10,533 32.49%
Total 32,415 100.00%
Table 9: Top Ten Round Trip Stations
Rank Community Station Name
Total
Rides
Started
Round
Trips
1 Northampton Northampton Train Station 2519 982
2 Amherst North Pleasant Street 2161 894
3 Amherst Amherst Town Hall 1590 569
4 Holyoke Holyoke Medical Center Station 1188 568
5 Easthampton Rail Trail @ Millside Park 1225 406
6 Amherst Kendrick Park 1306 351
7 Northampton Florence Center 1141 308
8 Northampton Pulaski Park/Downtown 1186 296
9 Northampton State St/Mass Central Rail Trail 1247 267
10 Amherst UMass Knowlton 1248 259
19
Figure 14: Round Trips per Station and Average Ride Length in Miles
20
CONGESTION MITIGATIO N AND AIR QUALITY
Using the CMAQ Air Quality Analysis Worksheet provided by MassDOT, the ValleyBike program
was responsible for the following emissions reductions in kilograms:
Summer
VOC
Summer
NOx
Summer
CO
Summer
CO2
1.0 0.8 12.8 1013.3
These reductions account for approximately $1326.00 per kilogram of CO2 emissions eliminated
by the project based on the total investment of $1,343,971.00. A copy of the Congestion
Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) analysis for Year Three of ValleyBike is presented below.
CMAQ Air Quality Analysis Worksheet for Bike Sharing Project
FILL IN SHADED BOXES ONLY
TIP YEAR:
MPO:Municipality:
Project:
Step 1: Details of Project:
User Input
(blank for default)Default
A.Number of Bikes in Project:221 Bikes
B.Average Bike Trip Length:2.8 Miles 2.8 1.1
C.Average Number of Trips per Bike per Day :0.1 Trips 0.1 3.7
D.Bike Sharing Operating Days per Year :214 Days 214.0 251
Step 2: Mode Substitution by Bike Sharing Project:
E.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Walking:25%Percent 25%
F.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Public Transit:41%Percent 41%
G.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Taxis:5%Percent 5%
H.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Cars:12%Percent 12%
I.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Private Bikes:8%Percent 8%
J.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Motorcycles:4%Percent 4%
K.Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Other/New Trips:5%Percent 5%
L.Total Percentage of Bikes Used Shifted from Other Modes (Must be 100%):100%Percent
M.Public Transit Vehicle Occupancy:40 Persons 40
N.Taxi Vehicle Occupancy :1.18 Persons 1.18
O.Car Vehicle Occupancy :1.18 Persons 1.18
P.Motorcycle Vehicle Occupancy :1.16 Persons 1.16
Step 3: Emission Factors for Average Commuter Travel Speed:
Note: Use 25 MPH as a default if average speed is not known.Speed Used:25 MPH
Summer VOC Factor Summer NOx Factor Summer CO Factor Summer CO2 Factor
grams/mile grams/mile grams/mile grams/mile
2016 Bus 0.014 0.023 0.150 22.645
2016 Auto 0.169 0.252 2.879 398.914
2016 Motorcycle 1.362 0.466 13.331 342.739
Step 4: Calculate emissions reductions in kilograms per year (Seasonally Adjusted):
Summer VOC Summer NOx Summer CO Summer CO2
1.0 0.8 12.8 1,013.3
Step 5: Calculate cost effectiveness (first year cost per kg of emissions reduced)
Project Emission Reduction First year cost
Emission Cost in kg per year per kilogram
Summer VOC $1,343,971 /1.0 =$1,290,630
Summer NOx $1,343,971 /0.8 =$1,754,105
Summer CO $1,343,971 /12.8 =$105,254
Summer CO2 $1,343,971 /1,013.3 =$1,326
Note: A bike sharing project would attract new riders from different modes. Actual surveys can determine the extent of the
transition from different modes to such program. If site specific data is unavailable, use the defaults provided below.
CONCLUSION
ValleyBike was successful in continuing to provide electric-assist bicycle sharing in 2020
throughout all of the challenges experienced by the COVID 19 Pandemic. An accurate picture of
the growth in service and utilization cannot be fully identified this year due to the lack of full
participation by all member communities as well as a later start in service. As previously
mentioned, the utilization of the bikes during fall and winter months including more than 1000
rides in December indicate that the service is gaining more patrons and will benefit from
continued year round service.
To improve the effectiveness of the ValleyBike system, more members must join and use the
system more frequently. Expansion of the system in calendar year 2021 to provide more
bicycles and stations with new stations in the City of Chicopee and Town of West Springfield
should assist in this effort. Similarly, the PVPC and Bewegan should continue efforts to identify
funding to provide discounted memberships to ValleyBike for economically disadvantaged
residents of the region.
The 2021 calendar year provides an opportunity to study not only the impact of expansion of
the ValleyBike system, but also the impact of a full year of usage data at a number of stations. It
will be important to continue to monitor utilization of the system to track how it can return to
2019 levels of use and continue to grow in the future.