Last month, the Seattle Department of Transportation gave an early assessment of the city’s new dockless bike sharing gambit. And the verdict?

To quote Ruby Rhod: “Supergreen.”

In three months, companies like LimeBike have more than tripled the rate at which public bikes are being ridden in the Emerald City - from 0.7 rides per day under the now-defunct Pronto! system to more than 2.2 rides today.

And as for worries about parking, well: “We certainly haven’t been overwhelmed by the bike-mageddon kind of fears,” says City Councilmember Mike O’Brien.

So what gives? Why have smaller, private enterprises been able to succeed where a large, publicly funded system couldn’t? The answer to that question can be found in three features unique to the dockless bike sharing concept.

1.) LOWER COSTS

Traditional bike shares have one thing in common: a reliance on cumbersome docking stations. Accounting for maintenance and installation, they can easily push a city’s cost-per-bike to around $5,000 - a hefty sum which is inevitably passed on to both taxpayers and riders.

In 2014 alone, Seattle coughed up over $1.7 million in state and federal funding in order to launch Pronto!’s modest 54-station network: this on top of a $2.5 million sponsorship from Alaska Airlines.

Dockless bike shares, on the other hand, are free from the constraints of docking stations. This allows them to keep expenses low and, more importantly, in-house. The result is a last-mile transportation system that costs taxpayers nothing and riders just $1 per trip. Compare that to $2.50 on nearby Portland’s BikeTown public bike share.

2.) BETTER ACCESSIBILITY

A residual benefit a of less-expensive bikes is, well, more of them. In the three months since Seattle opened its doors to the dockless bike sharing community, the city has flourished with nearly 8,000 available bikes on the road. LimeBike alone has 3,000 rides in operation, a number which more than quadruples Pronto!’s former offering.

And the accessibility doesn’t stop there. Since dockless bikes can be picked up and dropped off almost anywhere in the city, they’re able to serve a significantly larger geographic area than their predecessor (which only served downtown, Capitol Hill, and the University District).

LimeBike has even launched a cash-only option, allowing those without access to credit cards or smartphones the ability to utilize the system as well.

3.) INCREASED AGILITY

Unlike traditional, city-financed bike shares, smaller companies often have the agility necessary to deliver rapid improvements based on real-time customer feedback. By handing over the reins of its public bike share network to privately-funded startups, Seattle essentially assured itself of one thing: innovation.

To help drive that point home, here are just a few of the initiatives that LimeBike has launched to better integrate the system into the daily lives of Seattle riders:

• Ongoing rider safety education
• Wifi-enabled smart bikes
• 1,000 helmet giveaway
• Cell phone mounts for all new LimeBikes
• Industry first cash payments
• Expansion to 3,000 bikes

With their city-first approach to dockless bike sharing, companies like LimeBike are demonstrating a commitment to working with Seattle to develop a last-mile transportation network that meets the diverse needs of all of its residents. Pronto.