Would you ride Pronto! around Seattle for free?

Pronto! has had a rough year after reports of dwindling ridership and membership numbers, and a city bailout. Even the director of the Seattle Department of Transportation has come under an ethics investigation for allegations involving the bike-share program.

But Pronto! is looking to turn things around.

Related: Pronto! inflated membership numbers before Seattle buyout

To get more exposure, Pronto! is now offering a day of free rides on May 20 — at least for 30 minutes — then regular usage fees kick in. Riders can return the bike to a station and check it back out for another free 30 minutes. Helmet rentals cost $2. The effort coincides with Bike Everywhere Day, an event organized by the Cascade Bicycle Club. In order to take advantage of the free rides, people have to register online to get a free-ride code. 

Pronto! has partnered with Chipotle to make the free rides happen.

The Seattle Bike Blog reports that Pronto! has had some recent success with a rush of new memberships — the strongest since its 2014 debut. The bike share, however, still is not back up to its 2015 membership level when its numbers were at an all-time high.  So far Pronto! was able to get 124 people to become members during a promotional week. The bike share had a strong ridership week, though the Bike Blog notes that this may have something to do with the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s closure during the same time.

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