ViaCycle (YC S12) ditches GMU as customer due to "transition process"

It seems it was too good to last. viaCycle, which wanted to do to the bicycle what zipcar did with automobiles, has seemingly and without notice, dropped George Mason University as a customer. Not sure what their reasons are, since I can't find any notice on viaCycle's site, but seeing as GMU was their second customer and it was becoming more and more popular here at GMU, I'm not sure what happened to cause them to do this.

Here is the text from the email sent by GMU to viaCycle users at the campus:

"Hello Patriot Bikeshare User,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Patriot Bikeshare will be postponing operations until further notice. It was a great first year for the program, but unfortunately the operator of the program, viaCycle, is going through a transition process and will not be able to serve us any longer. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes. We are working towards providing you with the ability to rent out the bikes on campus for no cost and finding another comparable operator to take over the program in 2014.

Although this is a blow to a program that was rapidly growing at Mason, we’re sure that when it returns, it will be better than ever. With over 800 rides and almost 200 different users, we can see that the Mason community values this program and we intend on continuing it as soon as possible. In the meantime, expect an update on a potential bike rental program and please continue to use sustainable transportation.

Please contact us with any questions. Thank you for participating in the program and for making Mason greener.

The Patriot Bikeshare Team."