Gotcha, the ride-sharing company that recently expanded its service to St. Armands Circle and University Parkway, announced on Monday that it will cease operations in Sarasota.

"Effective immediately, Gotcha will no longer operate our ride share vehicles in Sarasota," the company wrote in a release. "We have enjoyed being a part of the Sarasota community and regret any inconvenience to our loyal riders. We had hoped to operate a multi-model system, incorporating e-bikes with our electric ride share, but the City selected a different bike share provider. Having competing micro-mobility companies in a small market will be challenging, and for that reason, we have decided to stop our operation. This decision was not made lightly and we greatly appreciate the hard work of our community manager, drivers, and dispatchers who represented Gotcha in Sarasota."

Earlier this year, the City of Sarasota solicited proposals for a bike share program and ultimately selected VeoRide, a national company operating programs in cities throughout the United States, including Tallahassee, Knoxville, Tenn., and Dartmouth, Mass. "VeoRide's proposal was chosen based on its qualifications and knowledge of bicycle share systems, the quality of its equipment, and an outline for making the bicycles available to people without smartphones or credit cards for the purposes of social equity," says city communications specialist Jason Bartolone. 

For more information, visit sarasotafl.gov.