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Pronto is shutting down in Seattle, but bike sharing won't be ruled out forever

At its peak, the Pronto system had 54 stations throughout Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Gil Aegerter
At its peak, the Pronto system had 54 stations throughout Seattle.

The lime green bikes stationed throughout Seattle will be gone by next week as the Pronto bike share program shuts down.

But it may not be the final chapter.

As the Pronto program disappears from Seattle, the city is focusing its money on pedestrian upgrades and bike lanes. Kyle Rowe at the city's transportation department said bike share isn't their priority. But he said they're not ruling it out forever.

Rowe: "With the needs that the city has right now, we're going to prioritize safety for people walking and biking with the dollars that were available. But we'll see what happens; I wouldn't be surprised if other bike share systems express interest in Seattle in the future."

The city of Seattle is sitting on 500 Pronto bikes, part of a system that it bought for $1.4 million in March of 2016. Many of them were paid for by state and federal grants, and those grantors want to see them in use.

Rowe said even though a second try is possible, they still want to get rid of the bikes. 

The city's transportation department is in talks with Spokane, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, college campuses and other jurisdictions trying to find a new buyer for the bike fleet. So far, no takers.

In the meantime, the bikes and their stations will go into storage.