Oakland launches an E-bike lending library

"Three years after Oakland announced a plan to purchase electric bikes for a pilot rental program, the new bikes are finally available for rent. In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Barbara Lee spoke of her excitement about the program. She was flanked by other community leaders, including councilmember Noel Gallo, whose district includes Fruitvale; at-large councilmember Rowena Brown; and Justin Hu-Nguyen, a co-executive director of the advocacy group Bike East Bay."

"The shop, located on the 12th Street side of the Fruitvale BART station, will now rent out 50 e-bikes bought with a $1.8 million, five-year state grant. "This program expands Oakland's commitment to affordable, sustainable ways to get around," said Lee, who arrived dressed in green, the color of the new e-bike fleet. "It's an important development for Fruitvale and it's also an important development for working families.""

""Our job is to make it safe, easy, and fun to get around Oakland streets however you choose to do so," Jamie Parks, an assistant director of the city's transportation department, said. "And bikes, especially e-bikes, are a great choice to make." Hu-Nguyen called e-bikes "the secret weapon of sustainable transportation." "They are a game changer that really has transformed how people get around," he said, "from dropping kids off at school, going to work, or social trips.""

Oakland opened a publicly available e-bike rental program at the Fruitvale Bike Station, offering 50 electric bikes purchased with a $1.8 million, five-year state grant. Mayor Barbara Lee and local community leaders attended the launch. City transportation staff emphasized making street travel safe, easy, and fun, and advocates described e-bikes as a transformative, sustainable transportation option for everyday trips. The bikes are available to any Oakland resident. Low-income residents enrolled in programs like CalFresh, Clipper START, SNAP, or Medi-Cal can rent for $20 for four weeks; other residents can rent for $120 for four weeks. Renters must be at least 18 and have suitable indoor storage.

Read at The Oaklandside