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CapMetro bike racks are seen empty at Republic Square Park in Austin on June 3.<\/p>\n
Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Capital Metro\u2019s electric bicycle rental service<\/a>\u00a0is set to return in August, more than two months after a fire forced it offline, but the Bikeshare service will still be limited through at least the end of the year as agency leaders work to replace uninsured equipment.<\/p>\n The phased return will prioritize stations around the University of Texas, which represents about 60% of the service\u2019s demand, according to CapMetro Chief Operating Officer Andrew Skabowski. All Bikeshare stations will reopen beginning Aug. 11, but only about 150 e-bikes \u2014 less than a third of the fleet \u2014 will return to the racks by Aug. 18.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The May 23 fire significantly damaged a CapMetro operations facility in South Austin, wiping out the batteries and charging infrastructure that powered the city\u2019s shared bicycle fleet. Skabowski said CapMetro will restore service using a temporary charging solution while the agency works to replace the damaged equipment.<\/p>\n Instead of charging the bikes at the central facility, CapMetro workers will move the bikes to electrified docking stations that charge the batteries in the field as needed. Customers can still dock bikes at any station, but because of the limited availability, the agency is encouraging them to check the Bikeshare app before heading out.<\/p>\n MORE: Austin riders turn to Lime, Bird scooters after CapMetro Bikeshare suspension<\/a><\/p>\n CapMetro Bikeshare electric bicycles are stored outside a South Austin CapMetro facility on June 8 after a May 23 fire damaged batteries and charging equipment there, prompting the agency to suspend Austin’s Bikeshare service.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman CapMetro Bikeshare electric bicycles are stored outside a South Austin CapMetro facility on June 8 after a fire in May damaged batteries and charging equipment at the facility. CapMetro shut down Austin\u2019s bikeshare system following the fire.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman CapMetro Bikeshare electric bicycles are stored outside a South Austin CapMetro facility on June 8 after a May 23 fire damaged bike batteries and charging equipment at the facility. CapMetro shut down Austin\u2019s bikeshare system following the fire.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman CapMetro Bikeshare electric bicycles are stored outside a South Austin CapMetro facility on\u00a0 June 8 after a May 23 fire damaged bike batteries and charging equipment at the facility. CapMetro shut down Austin\u2019s bikeshare system following the fire.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n As of early June, only 12 of 84 docking stations were capable of charging the bikes. CapMetro and the city of Austin, which jointly operate the service, have since added additional charging stations, including two on the UT campus, the agency said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Since most of the stations are not powered, CapMetro crews would typically relocate the batteries to the warehouse for charging. That\u2019s why the fire was so disruptive, Skabowski said. It destroyed a quarter of the batteries and most of the chargers, along with tools, repair supplies and office space.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just couldn\u2019t keep going,\u201d Skabowski said.<\/p>\n The warehouse, located at East Ben White Boulevard and Judson Road, caught fire around 10 p.m. on May 23<\/a>. Multiple 911 callers reported heavy white smoke coming from the building, and when Austin firefighters arrived, they found smoke pouring out of the eaves.<\/p>\n Once firefighters were able to knock down the flames and clear the smoke, they found the seat of the blaze in a storage room \u201cfull of batteries, most of which were probably e-bike batteries,\u201d according to an incident report.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A CapMetro facility on East Ben White Boulevard is boarded up in Austin on Monday, June 8 after a May 23 fire damaged bike batteries and charging equipment at the facility. CapMetro shut down Austin\u2019s bikeshare system following the fire.<\/p>\n Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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