Bike Chicago’s protest of Alta Bicycle Share winning bike sharing contract

By Steven Vance On June 20, 2012 · 5 Comments

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An example bicycle from Public Bike Share Co. Click on the image to read the photographer’s short review of his trip. Photo by Kevin Zolkiewicz. We’ll publish a review of bicycling in Toronto later this week. 

The Chicago Office of the Inspector General is currently investigating the procurement process for the bike sharing RFP that selected Alta Bicycle Share, Inc., and its partner, Public Bike Share Co., as the winner bidder to launch a bike sharing program in the city with 4,000 bikes and 400 kiosks.

In March, Josh Squire, the president of Bike Chicago (a sponsor of this blog through Bike and Park), called the selection process “tainted”. In April he sent Grid Chicago a summary of the allegations and a detailed timeline of evidence supporting them. We’re posting it now because we’ve received a couple inquiries about the procurement process that this could help answer.

We will contact the Inspector General’s office soon to get an update on the investigation. The Chicago Department of Transportation and its commissioner Gabe Klein have made two separate comments to Grid Chicago about the investigation: at MBAC, and at Bike to Work Day Rally.

Download the email (.pdf).

Follow the bike sharing tag to read all of our coverage.

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  • Clark Wellington

    This letter rubs me the wrong way. I’m fine with Bike Chicago protesting the process, but we’ve got to stick to facts here. Speculation like this is not helpful:

    “It has been reported that Klein received “CC” copies of all correspondence
    tied to the bike sharing RFP process and hand picked Chicago Department
    of Transportation representatives on the selection committee – including
    his deputy Kubly.”

    • http://www.stevevance.net/ Steven Vance

      We posted it without comment because we’ve not yet spent the time to verify everything in the letter.

  • Maxime Paquin

    the paragraph: The Alta Supplier Problems: PBSC AKA Bixi is 1. wrong and 2. out of date.

  • http://twitter.com/kpozsgay Kurtis Pozsgay

    I agree, this letter rubs me the wrong way. They just sound really bitter about not getting the bid. And trying to make Gabe Klein and Mia Birk look bad isn’t winning them any points. Instead to trying to make their connection to each other look like some insider deal, I wish they would discuss the merits of the bid more. Why do you deserve the bid, not why does Alta not deserve the bid.

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