Guest ContributorNEWS RELEASE: Officials from the MTC, Ford Motor Company and Motivate today announced that the San Francisco Bay Area’s eagerly anticipated regional bike share network will launch at the end of June.
The new Ford GoBike program represents a ten-fold expansion—from 700 bikes to 7,000—beyond the existing pilot program known as Bay Area Bike Share. In tandem with today’s launch announcement, the new fordgobike.com website was unveiled, which offers the immediate availability of special, limited-edition Founding Memberships. Officials also outlined plans for bike share’s first-ever integration with regional transit via the Clipper card along with details of the Bike Share for All program, which includes discounted membership options available to low-income residents.
Ford GoBike stations will open in San Francisco, the East Bay and San Jose on a rolling basis starting in late June. By the end of this summer there will be 3,700 Ford GoBike bicycles throughout the Bay Area. By the end of next year, Ford GoBike will include 7,000 bikes at 546 Ford GoBike stations spanning San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Berkeley and Emeryville. Ahead of the new program’s launch, and to allow for the installation of new hardware and software, the Bay Area Bike Share pilot program’s last day of service will be Sunday, June 11. Current members will see their memberships extended and rolled into the new program.
For a complete list of planned docking stations, go to the Ford GoBike Interactive Station Map.
FordGoBike.com goes live — with limited-availability ‘Founding Member’ specials
Ahead of the launch later this month, Ford GoBike is introducing “Founding Memberships,” which will be limited to first 1,000 members to sign up at the new Ford GoBike website at FordGoBike.com. Founding members get a discount on membership price ($124 annually, $25 off the regular price) as well as a commemorative Ford GoBike branded Clipper® card and invitations to regional launch events.
Clipper now a key to bike share
In another innovation announced today, accessing the Ford GoBikes will be easier for Bay Area commuters as for the first time, Clipper cards will act as the key to unlock the bikes. Riders can link their Clipper card (any Clipper card will work) to their Ford GoBike accounts, and use the card to unlock a bike from any Ford GoBike station. Riders can also unlock bikes using the Ford GoBike mobile application.
‘Bike Share For All’ expands access for underserved communities
Officials also announced the start of “Bike Share for All,” the nation’s most comprehensive bike share equity program. The program—which includes outreach, engagement, discounted pricing, and other improvements—reflects the groundbreaking commitment of Motivate and MTC to expand transportation access to communities traditionally underserved by transportation options.
As part of this commitment, Motivate is placing at least 20 percent of stations in MTC-designated communities of concern, and providing a discounted membership option for low-income residents. MTC and Motivate have created a $260,000 outreach fund to help educate lower-income residents and residents whose first language is other than English about how bike share works and to raise awareness about the availability of the discounted memberships.
The Bike Share For All discounted membership option announced today offers a $5 introductory first-year membership rate to all Bay Area residents enrolled in PG&E CARE, CalFresh or San Francisco Muni’s Lifeline Pass programs. After their $5 introductory year, “Bike Share For All” members will be able to continue their memberships for the still-steeply discounted fee of $5 per month. Qualifying residents can sign up for the program now on the Ford GoBike website using a credit or debit card. Cash-paid memberships are available for purchase in-person at The Hub (located at MTC’s headquarters at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco) beginning June 1, and will be available by June 28 at staffed BikeHub-operated bike stations. Bike Share for All memberships also extend ride times to a full one-hour for every trip (15 minutes longer than trips available with standard memberships).
Sign up at FordGoBike.com →
Feature Image: Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and other transportation officials pose in front of a Ford GoBike at the Bay Bridge Vista Point Ribbon Cutting.
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Thanks to this timely post, I made the cut for the $25 discount. Thank you for spreading the news!