If you’ve spent any time in Milwaukee in the past 10 years, you’ve almost certainly noticed Bublr Bikes. The bright blue bicycles are stationed around the city and suburbs for easy access – swipe a card, take a bike, drop it off at another station. Since its founding in 2014, the local nonprofit bikeshare has established over 100 stations in Milwaukee, Wauwatosa and West Allis. “At its core, Bublr Bikes is an environmental organization,” says Elizabeth Grout, Bublr’s sponsorship and outreach manager. “Around 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are generated by the transportation sector. Since Bublr was founded, we’ve offset over 1100 tons of emissions.”
The company’s commitment to sustainability runs through every facet of its work. Its ebikes, which include a small motor, use a battery that is recycled, as are all the tires and tubes when they’re worn out. Every Bublr station is manufactured close by in Waterloo, reducing the carbon cost of transporting them to the Milwaukee area. And unlike the majority of bikeshare programs, Bublr is a small nonprofit, not owned by a major rideshare company, such as Uber or Lyft.
Bublr Bikes operates four major community programs. First, its Access Pass provides free, unlimited 60-minute rides for anyone who qualifies for FoodShare, Medicare, Medicaid, SSI or Section 8 housing. “This year, we’ve had more signups for the pass than ever before,” Grout says. “People rely on Bublr to get to their jobs, the store, the doctor.”
Bublr also offers weekly cycling classes on safe city biking. All attendees get a free month pass and a helmet. Partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee and DreamBikes, Bublr now provides a six-month workforce development program that trains students to become certified bike mechanics at no cost. And Bublr’s fourth community program is its Adaptive Bikes, available at its stations. At no extra fee, these bikes offer an option for pedaling with hands instead of feet, and another offers two seats so that multiple people can ride.
“We’re passionate about Milwaukee and bicycle safety and about improving our community,” says Grout. “Only about 30% of our revenue is from user fees – the rest is donations and sponsorship. Those donations are how we keep these programs funded.”
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What We Do
- Bublr Bikes is Greater Milwaukee’s nonprofit bikeshare program. Bublr provides sustainable and inclusive bike sharing and supports community programs including cycling classes, a workforce development program, and free passes for income-qualified members of the community.
Where Your Money Goes
- User revenue only makes up about 30% of Bublr’s funds, which is why donors and sponsors are vital for Bublr’s continued growth. Donations help fund the nonprofit’s community programs, bike maintenance and environmental initiatives.
Bublr Bikes
PO BOX 235, MILWAUKEE, WI 53201 | 414-931-1121
