Zagster Launches New Mobile App to Streamline Ride

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - Apr 27, 2017) - Zagster, the nation's leading provider of public and public/private bike share systems, today announced the release of a new mobile app that simplifies and improves the overall user experience for the company's 80,000 riders nationwide. Available now for Apple, and soon for Android, the free app features one-touch Bluetooth unlocking; new mapping technology that provides point-by-point directions to the nearest docking station; a streamlined process to create a new Zagster account; and easy access to rider support. Collectively, the new features make it easier than ever to join, ride and enjoy Zagster.

"The new app not only makes the member experience easier and more enjoyable, it also enables Zagster to continue to deploy and manage our national network of shared bikes more efficiently," said Tim Ericson, CEO of Zagster. "Our hybrid model, which blends dockless locking for mid-trip stops with fixed station locations for beginning and ending rides, offers the most flexible and reliable service in the industry today."

With just the single touch of a button in the new Zagster app, riders can control a Bluetooth-enabled locking system that features two points of security. A ring lock prevents the rear wheel from spinning or being removed, and two sturdy cables -- one at each station dock, and one on each bike -- connect to the ring lock, allowing riders to either tether bikes to Zagster stations at the end of their trips, or to public bike racks for mid-ride stops.

Enabling mid-ride stops is key to Zagster's rapid success across the country because it allows users to plan their trips around their destinations -- and not around station locations. The vast majority of Zagster's more than 150 programs are located on university campuses, in small cities and suburbs, and at apartments and corporate complexes. Riders in these environments are more likely to use Zagster for non-commute trips in which mid-ride locking is vital. And indeed, a majority of all Zagster riders regularly use this functionality, according to a recent nationwide survey of more than 3,500 users.

Moreover, according to the survey, over 60 percent of respondents said that Zagster has increased their physical activity, and 60 percent said that they ride just for fun. More than two-thirds also highlighted the fact that Zagster makes it easier to enjoy parks, nature and greenspace, and more than 50 percent said Zagster is their only access to a bike. Meanwhile, an impressive 92 said bike sharing was a good investment in their community, while 62 percent said Zagster improved their overall quality of life.

About Zagster Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Zagster is the largest and fastest-growing bike-share provider in the United States. Zagster works directly with more than 150 communities in more than 30 states across North America to make bike sharing available in areas where traditional bike-share providers can't reach. Unlike other programs in which riders must drop off bikes at designated stations for every stop, Zagster's programs give users the freedom to ride as long as they want, wherever they want. And because Zagster manages all aspects of its programs -- from bikes and technology, to maintenance and marketing -- Zagster partners can create and deploy scalable bike-share systems that best suit their needs and work within their budgets.

More information about Zagster and its programs can be found at www.zagster.com