Houston BCycle will soon shutter with lack of funding

Houston BCycle will soon go under.

Why it matters: BCycle, the city's only bike share program, is relied on by riders throughout the city for essential trips around the neighborhood, leisurely rides and everything in between.

Driving the news: In a Houston Chronicle op-ed over the weekend, Houston Bike Share — the nonprofit that runs BCycle — announced that it will be shutting down service in two months following more than a year of financial constraints.

• The nonprofit for months sought title sponsorships, like Citi Bike in New York City, but none came to fruition.

What they're saying: "This breaks our hearts," senior board directors Neeraj Tandon and James Llamas wrote in the piece.

Flashback: The struggling bike share system received a temporary lifeline in the form of $500,000 from the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County in January, per Houston Public Media.

Yes, but: Metro was initially supposed to fold BCycle into its operations, but instead it is now studying the prospects of building its own bike share system or combining a new system with the old one, per HPM.

What's next: For now, BCycle's infrastructure will remain in the field until further notice.

• "With proper funding, it can be turned back on," Tandon and Llamas wrote. "For the benefit of all Houstonians, we hope that day comes soon."