Four years ago, Kayla and Adam McIntire saw a need in Owensboro. Noticing the “hundreds” of people that use the Greenbelt and the rapidly-developing downtown, the McIntire’s wondered if making bicycles available for rental would increase the number of cyclists.
Adam had seen bike-sharing stations while visiting Chicago and thought that a scaled-back version would work well in Owensboro. In 2015, the couple established Boro Bikes, a locally owned and operated company.
“These rental stations give people an inexpensive alternative to buying and hauling their own bikes and gives visitors downtown a way to further explore the city,” Adam said.
There are two rental stations that make Boro Bikes available for riders.
One station is located on the east side of the Owensboro Convention Center, which the owners feel is a prime downtown location with its proximity to hotels and shops.
“It was our hope that visitors to the area would see the bikes as a fun way to tour downtown and all of the great small businesses within that area,” Kayla said. “We also knew that, because of the high visibility of this location, it would give local businesses a unique way to use ad space on our baskets for visitors to see.”
The second location, on the Greenbelt across from Horse Creek Park, was an easy choice, the owners said.
“We wanted to provide the community with a fun way to enjoy the Greenbelt that they may not have been able to do before,” Adam said. “The Greenbelt location allows those who cannot bring their own bike a new way of getting outdoors and exploring our community. We also thought it would be a great family activity for residents and non-residents to enjoy.”
Community members have been impressed with the price and quality of the ride, Adam said, adding that they have had several repeat customers.
“Most people are surprised to hear that it is a locally-owed small business, not something run by the city,” Kayla said. “A majority of the larger cities with bike rental or bike share systems are run by the city itself.”
Kayla said that a local teacher used the bikes for a segment of an “Amazing Race” idea she was doing with her class, and Boro Bikes donated the use of the bikes and transported them to and from the event locations.
The owners were also glad when a customer called to see if they could attach a children’s bike trailer to one of the bikes to use it for a family activity, something they said they had not thought about previously.
For frequent riders, the McIntires have initiated a membership-based program that begins at $75 and allows members to check out a bike for a two-hour time period anytime they want.
“This has been highly requested over the last few years, and we are excited to offer this option to our frequent riders,” Adam said. “Hourly rentals are always available as one-hour, two-hour, three-hour, one-day and two-day checkouts with rates beginning at $5 per hour.”
Bikes are available for rental anytime, year-round. The owners decided to leave them out through the winter so that community members can enjoy them on warm winter days.
The kiosks are solar-powered, self-service and have a step-by-step guide on how to rent a bike. Rentals are charged to a credit or debit card that is swiped at the kiosk. The kiosks also allow riders to report problems with the bikes, although they service them once a week in the warmer months and monthly in the cooler months. Boro Bikes can also be contacted by calling the cell phone number on each bike and at each kiosk.
Currently, the baskets are off of the bikes in order to be upgraded. Adam said, the baskets are also a prime location for business sponsorship, which helps Boro Bikes maintain and continue to provide the community with the best bikes possible.
“We are continuously looking for areas to add more stations, and hope to do so in the near future,” Kayla said. “Our long-term goal is to switch the system over to an app to make it more user-friendly.”
Anyone interested in a membership or sponsorship can contact Boro Bikes through their Facebook page where they also post promotions and discounted rates.
