As part of a regional push to expand its ebike fleet, Ford GoBike is introducing more than 500 new pedal-assist cycles to its bike share network in the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville.
Ford GoBike is adding 500 new pedal-assist ebikes to their bike share network. Called GoBike Plus, these bicycles make cycling easier with motors that give riders a boost, requiring less effort to ride further and up hills.
Published: January, 2019
As part of a regional push to expand its ebike fleet, Ford GoBike is introducing more than 500 new pedal-assist cycles to its bike share network in the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville. A launch event and inaugural ride was be held on Friday, December 14 at the Ford GoBike station on 23rd Street and Telegraph Avenue in Oakland. In attendance was Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin, Emeryville Mayor Ally Medina, Oakland Department of Transportation Director Ryan Russo and representatives from Bike East Bay, Ford GoBike and Lyft.
Ford GoBike is also introducing ebikes in San Jose for the first time, where more than 120 of the pedal-assist ebikes will be deployed. And the bike share organization is adding another 600 ebikes to its network in San Francisco. Altogether, Ford GoBike is growing its ebike fleet to more than 1,400.
The ebikes, known as Ford GoBike Plus, feature motors that give riders a boost as they pedal, helping them to ride further and up hills with less effort. They offer a sweat-free ride, making cycling a more attractive option for a wider range of trip types and for a wider range of people in terms of fitness levels. By making longer trips easier, ebikes also help shift travel patterns from cars to bikes. Ford GoBike Plus ebikes have been incredibly popular in San Francisco since their launch in April of this year, being ridden nearly three times as often as classic Ford GoBikes. With the expansion beginning this week, there will soon be more than 800 ebikes in the Ford GoBike fleet in San Francisco.
“Ask anyone who has ridden an ebike, and they’ll tell you how exciting and transformative the ride can be,” said Ford GoBike General Manager Emily Stapleton. “The pedal-assist makes longer, uphill bike trips easier than ever, giving East Bay residents more reasons to choose bike share to get around their communities.”
“We are thrilled to be getting electric-assist, shared bicycles in Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville,” said Schaaf, who also serves as an MTC commissioner. “GoBikes will be useful to people needing to go farther in less time — and with less sweat. Bikesharing already gives the Bay Area a non-polluting, affordable way to get around — but these ebikes will be useful to a wider range of people, including folks who maybe can’t pedal comfortably on their own.”
“The future of mobility is shared and electric,” said Russo.
“Ebikes make bicycling more accessible for more people — they allow riders to go farther, faster, and are docked to avoid cluttering the sidewalks,” said San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, who also serves on MTC. “I’m a bike share member myself, and I love ebikes! To reduce traffic congestion and combat climate change, we must make biking easier, and adding 600 ebikes in San Francisco will be a game-changer.”
Ford GoBike Plus bikes can be located and unlocked using the Ford GoBike app or a Clipper® card and docked at any of the more than 300 bike share stations in the participating cities. Access to Ford GoBike Plus is included in the cost of a membership or pass. Memberships are available for $15 per month or $149 per year, with passes available at $2 for a single ride or $10 for a 24-hour access pass. Bike Share for All memberships are available to low-income residents at the discounted rate of $5 for their initial year and include unlimited rides of up to 60 minutes.
The Ford GoBike system consists of more than 300 stations and 3,000 bikes on the ground across San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville. The system has generated over two million rides since launching in June 2017. When completed, the 7,000-bike, 546-station Ford GoBike network will be the second-largest bike share system in North America, setting new national standards in density, convenience and equity.
