Biki Bikes Disappear
Oʻahu's Biki Bike-Share System Reports 800 Bikes Missing Nearly a Decade After Launch
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Honolulu's Biki bike-share system is missing roughly 800 bikes. The fleet has shrunk from a peak of 1,300 bikes to just 478 active bikes by April 2026 — a 60% drop — according to Honolulu Civil Beat. Theft, vandalism, and a lack of money for repairs have gutted the program that once ranked as the 6th most-used bike-share system in the United States.
City spokesperson Travis Ota confirmed the 478-bike count to Hawaii Free Press. The Department of Transportation Services (DTS) now runs Biki under a one-year contract with a for-profit operator, Secure Bike Share LLC. That company lost $314,000 in 2024. Without a fresh injection of cash, the entire system could shut down.
From 1,300 Bikes to 478 in Under a Decade
Biki launched on June 28, 2017, with 1,000 bikes and 100 stations. It grew fast. Within a year, the fleet expanded to 1,300 bikes across 136 stations, according to Newsday. Ridership hit 5 million total rides by May 2022. In 2023 alone, riders took about 800,000 trips — and 62% of those riders were local residents, not tourists.
Then the losses piled up. The COVID-19 pandemic crushed ridership. By spring 2021, vandalism and supply chain problems had cut the active fleet to roughly 600 bikes, WKYC reported. The bikes use specialized, proprietary parts made by a Canadian company called PBSC Urban Solutions. When a bike breaks, repairs are expensive. When the money runs out, broken bikes simply sit in warehouses.
City Takeover Has Not Stopped the Bleeding
In June 2024, the city of Honolulu took direct oversight of Biki from the non-profit Bikeshare Hawaii. DTS signed a one-year concessions contract with Secure Bike Share LLC to handle day-to-day operations, according to Honolulu.gov. In August 2025, the Honolulu City Council approved a $1 million transfer from the Climate Resilience Fund to keep the lights on.
But the money has not fixed the core problem. DTS Director Roger Morton put Biki's survival odds at roughly "50 percent" in April 2026, according to Hoodline. The city owns only 25% to 33% of the equipment. The rest belongs to Secure Bike Share, creating a messy legal situation over who pays for what. Council Member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam proposed an $800,000 budget amendment in May 2026, but its passage is uncertain.
Riders Are Left Stranded at Empty Stations
For people who depend on Biki daily, the shrinking fleet is already a crisis. Frequent rider Josiah Ryan called it the "poorest-working system" he has ever used, citing stations that are empty or kiosks that cannot read credit cards, according to Hawaii Free Press. The city's own online map shows several stations marked as out of order at any given time.
Analysts describe a doom spiral. As the fleet shrinks, the system becomes less reliable. As reliability drops, fewer people ride. Lower ridership means less revenue. Less revenue means fewer repairs. Jon Nouchi, DTS Director of Transit, says the goal is to "eventually restore Biki's fleet to its former heights," according to Newsday. Critics say that goal looks increasingly out of reach.
Biki's Collapse Would Hit Rail and Low-Income Riders Hard
Biki is not just a convenience — it serves as the "last mile" link for Honolulu's new Skyline rail system. Without bikes at rail stations, commuters have no easy way to reach their final destinations, according to the Hawaii Bicycling League. Losing Biki would also undermine the city's goal of doubling bicycle commuting over 2024–2026.
The equity stakes are real too. Biki's "Everybody Rides" program gives low-income residents access for just $10 a month. A shutdown would hit car-less households in urban Honolulu the hardest. Council Budget Chair Val Okimoto has suggested cutting staff in the office that oversees Biki funds, according to News From The States, signaling that political support for the program is far from guaranteed.
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