Free parking tips for bike share riders

Riders in Kansas City, MO, North Kansas City, MO, and Kansas City, KS may park and end their trips for FREE at any designated bike share hub (find them on the app). For a $2 out-of-hub convenience fee, you may also park at any public bike rack, or even to a street sign, as long as you're not blocking sidewalks, stairs, handrails, or transit stops. 

But what if your destination doesn’t have a bike share hub? You can still avoid the convenience fee if you follow these tips:

End your trip at a parking-only hub

Using rider data and guidance from our municipal partners, we activated existing bike racks in areas where people were already looking for bike parking. You can end your trip for FREE at these parking-only hubs! Click here for a list of parking only hubs (or you can find them on the app).

Leave the meter running

Just popping out for an errand? Locking your bike without ending your trip might help you avoid the convenience fee!

  • If you are a 30-day, 90-day, or annual member, you get 80 minutes of free ride time per day. That could be 80 minutes of riding around town, or it could be 20 minutes of riding to the grocery store, 40 leaving the meter running while you shop, and another 20 minutes of riding back to your original hub.
  • If you purchase an Explorer Pass, you get unlimited trips of up to 4 hours at a time. So if you bike 15 minutes to meet a friend for lunch, you can spend more than 3 hours gossiping over your burnt ends sandwich before pedaling to the next hub to end your trip.

Even walk-up riders can game the system! Walk-up rides cost 25 cents/minute, so you can lock up your bike and leave the meter running for up to 7 minutes for less than the cost of an out-of-hub convenience fee. That’s plenty of time to pick up your to-go order.

Note: Even members and Explorer Pass riders will be charged 25 cents per minute if they ride longer than 80 minutes a day (or 4 hours at a time for Explorer Pass). Double-check your math and keep an eye on your watch when you leave the meter running! Click here to learn more about memberships and passes.

Become a Bike Wrangler

Wranglers are monthly members who earn extra ride time and even monthly memberships by returning “stray” share bikes to our hubs. These special members aren’t exempt from the out-of-hub fee, but free monthly memberships and all those extra minutes might take the sting out of an occasional $2 charge. Click here to learn more about the Bike Wrangler program.

More about bike share parking 

These tips for out-of-hub parking are specifically for riders in KCMO, North Kansas City, and KCK. Riders in Lenexa may only end trips at designated bike share hubs, and riders on the Aspiria Campus may only end trips on the Aspiria Campus.

Wherever you end your bike share trip, use the cable and wheel lock to secure the bike, then follow instructions on the app to end your trip. Proper parking and locking helps prevent theft and vandalism of bikes and ensures that more bikes are available when you are ready to ride. If you leave a bike unlocked or parked improperly, you may incur additional charges. Click here to read our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about fees and fines.

Have more questions? We want to help! Email us at info@bikesharekc.com.

 

A Bike Share KC team member shuffles bikes on a rainy day

The Bike Share Team is all local to Kansas City, and we want you to have a great time exploring our city on two wheels.

Download our app to find the closest Bike Share KC bikes or hub, and read our Frequently Asked Questions

Email us at info@bikesharekc.com or tap the ? button on the Bike Share KC app to ask questions or share your ideas for improving service

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram (email or app is still the best way to contact customer service)

 

New parking-only hubs offer more spots to lock up your bike

Need a place to park your share bike? Now you have more options! In addition to the existing hubs our riders are already using, you can now end your bike share trip at new "parking-only hubs." With guidance from user data and our municipal partners, we activated existing bike racks as parking-only hubs for your convenience. These bike racks won't be stocked with bikes like our regular hubs, but you can lock up your bike and end your trip without incurring an out-of-hub fee. 

Here’s a list of the new parking-only hubs (you can also find them on the app): 

Kansas City, Missouri

  • 18th and Prospect - silver rack at the northbound Prospect MAX stop (please do not lock up to bus stop signs, hand railings, or anything except the bike rack)
  • 19th and Baltimore - green "U" racks on the street
  • 36th and Broadway - blue bike racks in front of the yoga studio
  • Central Library - racks near the accessible entrance just east of the main library doors
  • Gregg/Klice Community Center - racks near the building entrance
  • Linwood YMCA - racks near the building entrance
  • Mary Williams-Neal Community Center - racks near the building entrance
  • Tony Aguirre Community Center - black bike racks to the right of the building entrance
  • Westport Sunfresh - green "U" racks between Sunfresh and Sherwin Williams

North Kansas City, Missouri

  • Big Rip Brewing - racks in the parking lot near the patio door
  • 31st and Howell - racks at the northwest end of Macken Park

Kansas City, Kansas

  • The Merc - racks near the front door on Minnesota Ave.
  • Neighborhood Resource Center - black pipe bike rack at the entrance of the parking lot
  • Holy Family Park - racks at the corner of Ohio Ave. and Orchard St.

Using the app to find parking hubs

You can use the app to find free bike share parking, even if there are currently no bikes in the hub. Here's what the map symbols mean:
🧡 Orange with a bike and dots - There is one bike at this location, and the number of dots indicates the battery level.
🧡 Orange with a number - There are multiple bikes at this hub, and if you tap the number, you can see the battery levels for each bike.
🩶 Grey with a P - There are currently no bikes at this hub, but if you're out riding, you can park here for FREE!

Riders in Kansas City, MO, North Kansas City, MO, and Kansas City, KS may park and end their trips for FREE at any designated bike share hub or any parking-only hub. For a $2 fee, you may also park at any public bike rack, or even to a street sign, as long as you're not blocking sidewalks, stairs, handrails, or transit stops. This parking policy helps prevent theft and vandalism of bikes and ensures that more bikes are available when you are ready to ride.

Note: Riders in Lenexa may only end their trips at designated bike share hubs, and riders on the Aspiria Campus may only end trips on the Aspiria Campus.

Need more information? 

We want to help you avoid the out-of-hub convenience fee! Read our Free Parking Tips for Bike Share Riders, check out our Frequently Asked Questions, send us a message on the app, or email us at info@ridekcbike.com. Our local operations staff is on the job seven days a week, and we are happy to help!

A BikeWalkKC team member unloads a shipment of bikes

The Bike Share Team is all local to Kansas City, and we want you to have a great time exploring our city on two wheels.

Download our app to find the closest Bike Share KC bikes or hub, and read our Frequently Asked Questions

Email us at info@bikesharekc.com or tap the ? button on the Bike Share KC app to ask questions or share your ideas for improving service

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram (email or app is still the best way to contact customer service)

 

May is Bike Month! 30% off Annual RideKC Bike Memberships with code BIKEMONTH23

Bike Month Special: 30% off Annual Memberships

This offer is no longer available. Thanks for celebrating Bike Month with us!

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May is Bike Month! To celebrate, RideKC Bike is offering steep discounts on our Annual Memberships. RideKC Bike Annual Members get 80 minutes of free ride time every day with no unlock fees!

How to get 30% off an Annual RKCB Membership:

1. Download the RideKC Bike app from your Apple or Google app store and create an account.

2. Redeem the BIKEMONTH25 code in "Coupons and Credits" before you select pricing and membership. Redeeming the code will automatically select an Annual Membership and activate the 30% discount.

3. Confirm your purchase and enjoy your ride!

This offer is valid May 1-31 and is good for new and renewing members only. It does not apply to current members. Ride time beyond the 80 free minutes per day costs 25 cents per minute. Users may incur an extra fee for parking a bike without ending their trip or using the cable lock, or for parking a bike in a manner that blocks an access point.

Need more details? Read our Ride With Us guide or send us an email at info@ridekcbike.com.

RideKC Bike hub near the dam at Shawnee Mission Park

RideKC Bike addresses news story regarding the Johnson County Park & Recreation District’s decision to discontinue the RideKC Bike program at local parks

RideKC Bike sent an email to the editor of the Johnson County Post in response to Roxie Hammill’s article “Johnson County park district will end bike rental program” that ran on January 27, 2025. RideKC Bike was not interviewed for the story and there are a number of inaccuracies and omissions that we feel need to be addressed. Below is a copy of our correspondence to Kyle Palmer, editor of the Johnson County Post. 

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Hello Kyle,

I am writing about Roxie Hammill’s January 27 story, “Johnson County park district will end bike rental program.” I am disappointed that the story ran without any attempt to reach BikeWalkKC or our RideKC Bike program for background information, context, or a statement. There are a number of inaccuracies and omissions that we feel need to be addressed. They include:

Contract cancellation.

The Johnson County Park & Recreation District (JCPRD)  board did not cancel the contract. The contract reached its predetermined end date and the board chose not to renew it. 

Electric bikes (E-bikes).

The news story is correct that the program used non-electric bikes. This was JCPRD’s choice. When the program started, RideKC Bike was already in the process of converting our bikes to an all-electric fleet. We advised JCPRD that the primary bike vendors who supply bikes to bike share programs were phasing out traditional pedal bikes and would soon only offer and support e-bikes. However, JCPRD made the choice to use non-electric bikes. 

Financial loss.

It is highly incorrect to say that the project lost $300,000. JCPRD knew exactly how much the program was going to cost and agreed to provide the funding. It was never expected to “break even.” The reality is that JCPRD decided to stop funding the program. That is certainly their decision to make.

What the general public may not know is that most bike share systems are offered as an amenity to the public, with customer rental fees covering only a fraction of the actual cost. These programs almost always rely on the annual appropriation of public funds to fully support the operation and maintenance. JCPRD’s decision to stop funding the bike program should not be misconstrued as a failure of the program to produce revenue. 

Program funding alternatives.

While the overall program costs mentioned in the article are accurate, the story failed to include the fact that RideKC Bike made several attempts to help JCPRD staff find alternative funding sources in order to upgrade the fleet to e-bikes and to continue the program. We shared information about three federal grant cycles that were available to them over the last five years. These grants would have covered 80% of the cost to purchase equipment. On one occasion, our staff helped JCPRD staff in writing a funding application, but for reasons not shared with us, JCPRD staff opted to not submit it.  

Customer satisfaction.

RideKC Bike conducts annual satisfaction surveys of its RideKC Bike customers. For customers of the JCPRD bikes, their satisfaction was consistently above 90%. RideKC Bike received many requests for bikes at additional locations as well as requests for electric bikes. Riders gave 4+ stars on 91% of their trips, and 92% of respondents said they were “likely” or “very likely” to recommend the service. No mention of how the public used or viewed the program was included in the news story.

Thank you for the opportunity to shed additional light and details on the JCPRD’s decision to stop funding the RideKC Bike program. We know the program was much loved and used by residents. Unfortunately, this news story has generated much unnecessary confusion among the multiple regional municipalities that are a part of BikeWalkKC's RideKC Bike program and among the general public. My staff and I would appreciate a follow-up article on this story to help clear up some of the confusion and questions the public and other RideKC Bike program participants may have. 

Sincerely,

Eric Rogers, Executive Director
BikeWalkKC and RideKC Bike

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We know many patrons will miss having the bikes in Johnson County parks in 2025. There are other locations throughout the Greater Kansas City region where you can access RideKC Bikes, such as Lenexa, Kansas City, KS, Kansas City, MO, The City of North Kansas City, and the Aspiria Campus in Overland Park. Download and use the RideKC Bike app from Google Play or the Apple Store for exact locations.  

Take action

If the loss of bike share in county parks concerns or impacts you, please take a couple minutes to send an email to the County Commission.

Take the RideKC Bike Survey

Take the RideKC Bike survey by December 31!

Thank you for your feedback! The 2024 RideKC Bike survey is now closed.

Take the RideKC Bike survey! Whether you rode with us a lot, a little, or not at all this year, we want to hear from you. Your feedback will help us plan for the future and fine-tune our processes to offer you even better service. Survey closes at midnight on December 31, 2024.

BONUS: When you complete the survey and share your contact information, you are entered to win a free annual RideKC Bike membership ($149 value)! If you're already an annual member (thank you!), your next annual membership will be free. No refunds on a membership you've already purchased, and no trading in the membership for cash.

Hibernation for Kansas RideKC Bike fleets

All Lenexa and Aspiria bikes, and a portion of the Kansas City, KS fleet will be out of service starting December 1. Each year, the bikes in these fleets get a full tune-up over the winter months to prepare them for the busy spring biking season. In accordance with RideKC Bike's agreements with our partners, the fleets will be hibernating from December until March.

If you are a RideKC Bike member, your membership works in all of our systems. Use the RideKC Bike app to find bikes in KCMO, KCK, and North Kansas City all year round!

📪 Questions? Email our customer service team at info@ridekcbike.com.

Update 1/29/25: Johnson County Park & Recreation District chose to end their contract with RideKC Bike, and therefore RideKC Bike will not be returning to any of bike share hubs in JCPRD parks this spring. Lenexa parks, the Aspiria campus, and Kansas City, KS parks will not be affected. Read more about this change on our blog.

Coming in 2025: New year, new updates

In 2019, RideKC Bike upgraded our system with new smart, lock-to e-bikes. For the past five years, we have collected and analyzed data from the system, talked to our peer programs in other communities, and listened to our riders’ questions and comments. 

We saw a common theme in our research: it’s time to make improvements and efficiencies that preserve flexibility and value for our riders.

“Love the service, need more bikes”
“There’s never enough bikes at my hub”
“Please put more bikes at Armour and Main”
“Not enough full charged bikes in Country Club Plaza”

We agree! So in addition to the new bikes and high-capacity batteries we added this summer, RideKC Bike will roll out the following updates on January 1, 2025:

New RideKC Bike Wrangler Program gives people an opportunity to earn free access to bike share! 

Monthly RideKC Bike Members automatically get their next month’s membership for FREE when they return 20 or more out-of-hub bikes in a calendar month back to designated hubs.

Out-of-Hub Parking Convenience Fee

Users will still have the option to park outside of the hubs designated on the RideKC Bike app, but they will be charged a $2 out-of-hub convenience fee. Bikes parked at designated hubs are less likely to be vandalized or stolen, and more bikes at hubs means more users can reliably find a bike when they need it. We hope this new policy will encourage more people to return their bikes to hubs, which in turn means less time RideKC Bike staff must spend recovering unlocked bikes and stocking hubs. Click here to see our tips for avoiding the convenience fee!

Per-minute rate updates 

Classic pedal bike per-minute rate will increase from 10 cents to 15 cents per minute.

Electric bike per-minute rate will increase from 15 cents to 25 cents per minute.

FAQs

I’m already a Member, how will I be affected? 

Membership and Explorer Pass rates are not changing. The new per-minute rate will only apply if you have overage time beyond your Membership minutes. If parking outside of a designated RideKC Bike Hub, there will be a $2 convenience fee. 

How do I know where designated RideKC Bike Hubs are located? 

The RideKC Bike app displays all available locations. They are often (but not always) a royal blue bike rack. Click here to see a list of our new parking-only hubs!

How do I enroll in the Bike Wrangler Program to earn free access?

Yeehaw! Anyone with a RideKC Bike Monthly Membership will be eligible to become a Bike Wrangler. Earn one Return-to-Hub point for each stray RideKC Bike you corral and lock up at a designated hub. Once you have earned 10 Return-to-Hub Points you automatically become a Bike Wrangler!

By earning 20 Return-to-Hub Points in a calendar month, a Bike Wrangler qualifies for a free Monthly Membership that is redeemable for the subsequent month. Click here for more details about the Bike Wrangler Program.

How will these changes benefit RideKC Bike Annual or Monthly Members?

Together these updates will improve service, ensuring that more bikes are ready to ride when you are. 

The new Bike Wrangler program will allow Monthly Members the opportunity to earn free access to bike share by simply returning bikes to designated hubs. 

The out-of-hub convenience fee will help ensure that more bikes are readily available, and reduce instances of theft or vandalism. 

Will these changes apply everywhere in the Kansas City Metro?

The Bike Wrangler program will be available to any RideKC Bike Monthly Members.

The out-of-hub convenience fee is subject to all areas of the system, except for the Aspiria Campus and Lenexa where ending a trip has always been restricted to only designated hubs. 

The per-minute rate updates apply to all areas of the Kansas City Metro. 

 

Need more information? Click here to find the rest of our Frequently Asked Questions.

These updates go into effect January 1, 2025.

If you’ve taken our annual surveys, contacted our customer service team, emailed, or sent a message on social media, THANK YOU for helping improve bike share in the Kansas City region! We are confident that these updates will get more people biking more often, and when it comes down to it, that’s really why we’re here.

Please send us an email at info@ridekcbike.com if you have any questions.

Jordon pedals a RideKC Bike up the hill

RideKC Bike powers up in 2024

You LOVE bike share!

Kansas Citians are discovering the joys of going by bike more everyday as they continue to set outstanding records for ridership. RideKC Bike consistently sees annual double digit growth.  In the first quarter of 2024 alone, we saw trip rates per bike increase another 60% compared to the same time last year. 

This incredible growth has also come with challenges as we help the community pioneer a path to electrification. Last summer, we talked about a few of those growing pains. Some areas of our service, especially in Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) where the equipment is beginning to wear due to particularly high use over many years, are ready for reinvestment so we can continue providing the highest levels of service for the community. 

Gearing up for more bikes and new batteries

 

Our KCMO fleet was last renewed in 2020, and aging batteries have limited the number of bikes we can deploy over the last two summers. Fortunately, the KCMO City Council recently approved matching funds to a federal grant that will allow us to replace old batteries and purchase new bikes! 

We love that the new electric bikes are so popular, and we are excited to share some of the upcoming plans we have to help meet such high demand.

 

RideKC Bike operations staff stocks a hub with bikes.

What is RideKC Bike's next step?

RideKC Bike is working with local municipal partners on grants and reinvestment opportunities to improve service levels and make the electric bikes more efficient than ever. Thanks to these partners and grants, over 100 more electric bikes will be added in 2024! 

These new electric bikes will be paired with the introduction of new higher efficiency batteries, with over 40% more capacity than our current batteries, helping improve range and capacity for more trips and miles for all our riders. Stay tuned for some coming announcements on the timing of these new bikes and batteries. 

We’re not stopping there, though. Plans are already underway for adding additional bikes to expand service in new neighborhoods as well as increase capacity in our existing service area over the next couple years as we work to help move Kansas City into the future of efficient transportation options. 

In the interim, we're stretching our resources and building capacity:

  • Reconditioning older batteries to squeeze out a bit more juice
  • Fixing damaged bikes as parts become available
  • Applying for grants and new funding early and often

Wanna be the power in our pedals?

As a mission-based nonprofit transit provider, we are focused on providing the highest possible standard of service while also keeping costs low for our riders. RideKC Bike has never increased usage prices since the program launched in 2012. The user fees you pay to unlock and ride a bike cover 20% of what it costs us to operate, maintain, and deploy RideKC Bikes. Corporate partners provide another 20%, and city and county governments carry the remaining 60% of operating costs.

 

RideKC Bike allowed me to drop down to a "car sharing" household. I shre a car with another household and make 90% of my trips via transit, RideKC Bike, or carpooling.

Be a squeaky wheel

Let your city know that you want more bikes! Cities love hearing positive feedback on our local community programs. Reach out to the mayor and city council members in your community. In our region, there are a number of cities that invest in and offer bike share, including KCMO, NKC, KCK, Lenexa, and Johnson County Parks & Recreation District. Let them know that bike share is a valuable resource and that you want to see it expanded to better meet your needs for transportation, recreation, and health. We want local governments to view bike share as a quality-of-life amenity for its residents.

More ways you can give RideKC Bike a boost

  1. If you work for a company that offers grants or sponsorships to nonprofit organizations, reach out to the leadership and ask them to consider adding bike share to their philanthropic priorities. 
  2. If you work for a real estate development or property management company, ask them to sponsor a bike share hub at their office building or apartment complex. 
  3. If your business is located in a community improvement district (CID), ask them to partner with RideKC Bike.

In the meantime, here's how you can get the most out of your ride

  1. Use the RideKC Bike app to locate bikes and to find out their battery status for any advance trip planning.
  2. As much as possible, please return bikes to a hub at the end of your trip to cut down on the time it takes our team to retrieve bikes and restock the hubs. Bikes parked at hubs are also less likely to be vandalized.
  3. Report any maintenance issues through the RideKC Bike app or by email info@ridekcbike.com.

Thank you

We’re proud to serve as Kansas City’s grassroots non-profit bike share program since 2012. Thank you for making RideKC Bike such a success! We remain committed to providing the highest standards of service as we continue to transition and grow the electric fleet. 

RideKC Official Statement Regarding the Recent Tragedy

RideKC Official Statement Regarding the Recent Tragedy

Yesterday started out full of celebration and comradery as RideKC Transit (Streetcar, Bus, and Bike) carried thousands of excited fans to the Chiefs Super Bowl Parade and Rally. Unfortunately, things took a tragic turn, resulting in the heartbreaking death of one Kansas Citian and injuring at least 22 others, including innocent children.  Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to the victims, their families, and all those affected by the senseless act of gun violence that transpired that day.

The Ride KC Transit team joins our City, and our entire community, in mourning this shattering loss, and we stand united in our commitment to fostering a safe and secure environment for everyone who utilizes Kansas City’s public transportation services. We recognize that events like this impact the fabric of our society, causing grief and leaving lasting scars on the affected families and the community at large.

Gun violence has become an insidious epidemic, affecting communities nationwide and leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. It is incumbent upon us, as responsible stewards of public safety, to recognize the urgency of this issue and collectively work towards lasting solutions.

Our commitment to creating a safe community extends beyond our transit services. We pledge to work collaboratively with our passengers, neighbors, and City, County, and elected officials to ensure that our shared spaces are secure and welcoming. Together, we can cultivate an environment where everyone feels protected, supported, and free from the threat of violence.

Biking to the Super Bowl victory parade and celebration with RideKC Bike

That was some game, huh? 🥳🥳🥳 Now let’s make some parade plans! If you plan on biking to the the Super Bowl parade on Wednesday, we have some tips.

How to navigate the parade with RideKC Bike:

1. Get the app. Download the “RideKC Bike” app for iPhone or Android. Be sure to install it, create an account, and add a payment method before heading out to the parade.

2. Park your car outside the the parade zone or take a shuttle bus towards downtown. We suggest using your RideKC Bike app to choose an area with plenty of bikes available (Country Club Plaza, Midtown, North KC, or KCK are good bets)

3. Use the RideKC Bike app to find a bike near you and check its battery level. Fees apply until you lock the bike and end the trip in the app.

4. Lock up responsibly. When you pedal up to the crowd, lock up the bike at a public bike rack, street sign, or other fixed object. Please do not lock the bike to a bus stop or street car stop, handrail, or private property, and make sure your bike isn’t blocking a sidewalk, stairway, doorway, or other access point.

5. Do not ride on any sidewalks or on any closed streets.

DON’T PANIC if you can’t get a signal:

Parade organizers are warning that cell phone service may be spotty with so many people downtown. This could impact the reliability of our app and your ability to start/end trips.

  1. If you are unable to end your trip and upload a photo, please contact customer support through the app later in the day. We will reply and reverse any overage fees within 24 hours.
  2. We recommend using a credit card instead of a debit card if possible, to avoid tying up your funds and to allow for a faster refund if needed.
  3. After the parade you may need to wait for crowds to disperse and cell service to return before you can unlock a bike.

Get the App

Be sure to download the RideKC Bike app, create an account, and add a payment method before heading out to the parade.