The bikes of RoamNRV, the local name of the service operated by Bolt Mobility, have been inoperable in Blacksburg since July 6, said Town Attorney Larry Spencer. Signs are now posted at each area where the bikes are parked stating that they aren’t operational, he said.

RoamNRV launched in 2018 under the operation of Gotcha, which Bolt later acquired. Bolt was co-founded by eight-time Olympic gold medalist and retired superstar sprinter Usain Bolt.

The town of Blacksburg had spearheaded the effort to start the service several years ago. The network was touted as a way to boost bike ridership and recreation and to complement amenities such as the Huckleberry Trail, which provides a connection between the town of Christiansburg and the Jefferson National Forest just north of Blacksburg.

“The enjoyment of the Huckleberry and the extension of the Huckleberry. It’s been a really valuable, fun way to promote that,” said Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith, who voiced disappointment at the suspension of the service. “It’s been a fun way to connect the two towns with other locations in the county.”

RoamNRV launched with the aid of a $200,000 startup grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, $50,000 of which was a local match shared among Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Tech.

Just over a year ago, the service seemed poised to continue its growth when Bolt announced the conversion of the existing pedal bike system to an “all electric-assist” fleet. The move launched with 75 e-bikes, and plans involved the eventual growth of the network to a total of 150 e-bikes and several new hub locations throughout the area.

“The New River Valley is building for the future,” Bolt CEO Ignacio Tzoumas said in an announcement last year. “Through our partnership with local governments and stakeholders, we can leverage Bolt’s technology to help reduce pollution, improve congestion, provide transportation to the underserved and shorten commute times.”

Although there is a small hub presence in Christiansburg, most of the spots for renting and picking up bikes are concentrated in Blacksburg—mostly on or near the Virginia Tech campus. There are a dozen hubs in total in Montgomery County, at least based on a count from last year.

Spencer said they’ve heard from other bike share organizations that Bolt has ceased operations and program support in their areas. Bolt, however, has not been responsive to communications regarding ongoing operations, he said.

“Town [of Blacksburg] staff sent two email communications to Bolt on [July 6] and [July 15] asking for information about operations in our market and have not received any responses to date,” Spencer wrote in an email.

Spencer said the town has not received or been able to find any official bankruptcy filing from Bolt to date.

Spencer shared an article from Seven Days, an outlet in Vermont that covered a similar issue occurring with a Burlington area bike share system. The electric bikes there also belong to Bolt.

Representatives for Bolt couldn’t be reached for comment.

Given news of other ride sharing programs ending elsewhere, Hager-Smith said it appears some of those platforms have had trouble surviving the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s disappointing news because the people here, we’re enjoying it,” Hager-Smith said. “We got a lot of positive feedback about the program.”

Hager-Smith said she’s also disappointed because the service demonstrated a successful regional effort between Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Montgomery County and Tech. She said she hopes it can return in some form in the future.

“It was one of the more visible efforts that we had all made to work together,” she said. “If they’re going to be bought out, we would be interested in continuing the arrangement.”