For more than a decade, Pittsburgh’s bikeshare program has made rentable bicycles available to residents and visitors looking to get around town without a car. And POGOH, as the program has branded itself, has long relied on a sponsorship partnership with Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network.

That will change in 2027, when AHN/Highmark’s sponsorship contract with the program ends, AHN/Highmark confirmed in a statement.

“We believe the organization is well positioned for continued success, and that a new partner can help support and advance its mission in the years ahead to make biking more accessible and beneficial for Pittsburgh,” the statement read.

“Over the past 10 years, we have been honored to support Bike Share Pittsburgh as it has expanded its reach and advanced its mission. We are proud of what we have accomplished together and the positive impact this partnership has had on our communities,”

A spokesperson declined to say how much money the Highmark and AHN had paid to sponsor the bike-share. But financial reports show that between 2021 and 2024, POGOH received between $560,000 and $651,000 annually in revenues from sponsorships. Those arrangements amounted to between one-sixth and one-half of the program’s annual revenue in recent years, depending on how much POGOH received from other sources.

Still, POGOH executive director David White sounded an optimistic note, saying he was “not worried” about the sponsorship deal ending. POGOH is already seeking new sponsors, he said.

“We’re really excited to talk to existing partners, and new partners. There’s a lot of energy around this, and I think that folks that we’ve talked to so far have been really interested in learning more about how far this partnership could go,” he said.

White said AHN/Highmark’s sponsorship was a “phenomenal relationship. … We’ve been able to amplify a lot of the community health initiatives from their side, and we’ve been able to get a lot of people on bikes.”

Originally called Healthy Ride, POGOH has grown over the years: White said the program is coming off of a “record-breaking” year for ridership, and plans to install more than 40 new stations using Federal Highway Administration funding and philanthropic dollars later this year. The new stations will bring POGOH into some city neighborhoods – including Squirrel Hill, Larimer, and Highland Park – for the first time.

“I am very optimistic that we’re gonna find a way to work with our next corporate partner to [make] a big splash,” he said.

Eric Boerer, advocacy director with Pittsburgh bike group BikePGH, says he knows POGOH “heavily depend[s]” on its primary sponsor. BikePGH has shared contacts with the organization as it searches for a new partner, he added.

“I really hope that somebody steps up to be able to get that great visibility for a project that has been very positive for the city,” Boerer said.

POGOH, he said, has been “such a game-changer for getting people on bikes.”

“Just being around town, I see so many more people riding POGOHs than ever before,” he said. “I see more people on POGOHs than personal bikes in certain parts of town. So they’ve really done a great job in helping get people out riding [and] making sure that the bikes are available in a number of different neighborhoods.”

Barb Warwick, a Pittsburgh city councilor who often advocates for non-car transportation, said the end of AHN/Highmark’s support for POGOH was concerning. She said she’s been trying to be “a cheerleader” for POGOH’s services, which she called an “incredible resource.”

POGOH’s nonprofit model, she said, allows the agency to offer services in less-concentrated areas of the city – areas a for-profit bikeshare company might pass up.

“With any nonprofit provider that is providing discount services and putting operations in communities where there might not be as much density … that costs money, right?” she said. “That is why you see nonprofits doing that type of work, and not for-profit providers.”

“I really value the way that POGOH runs its program,” she added. “I want to see that continue [and] grow, all over the city.”