Pronto, the bike share program that the Seattle City Council voted to purchase on March 14, continues to lag as membership drops approximately 44% since 2014.

In its first year of operation, Pronto had 3,300 members, according to the Seattle Times. The number of members now stands at 1,874–a precipitous drop, and an indication of the program’s lack of success.

The fact that Pronto has been struggling is no secret. According to MyNorthwest.com, Seattle previously spent $305,000 to keep Pronto running before finally purchasing it for $1.4 million–which translates to approximately $747 per member.

The program is simply not popular, and is not a great fit for Seattle. However eco-friendly we strive to be, Seattle remains a city riddled with hills that is no stranger to rain.

In fact, only 110 out of 13,000 city employees are Pronto members, according to the Seattle Times: fewer than one percent.

This is especially appalling considering that membership is subsidized for city employees, reducing the yearly rate of membership from $85 to $35 dollars—which comes out to approximately $3 a month.

According to the Seattle Times, SDOT employee and leader of Seattle’s biking efforts Nicole Freedman and transportation director Scott Kubly are also not Pronto members.  

“I am actually not right now,” Freedman said according to the Seattle Times, declining to comment further because the matter was “personal”.

This fact is disconcerting—not even advocates for the program have signed up for Pronto.

And despite fantastically sunny weather, ridership this April is 30% lower than it was during April of last year. 

In efforts to save the bike-share program, the city plans to expand Pronto to 1000 bikes, between 70 and 130 stations, and 8000 members, according to the Seattle Times. At the present, Pronto has 500 bikes, 54 stations, and 1,874 members.

To attract more members, discounted Pronto memberships are being sold through May 8 for $6.25 a month or $63 a year. Annual members can now ride for free for up to 45 minutes, up from 30. Struggling stations are also being moved to new locations and electric bikes are being considered.

But even with these changes, Pronto amounts to little more than a City Council mistake, and a waste of taxpayer dollars.