GoBike expansion coming to Bay Area
Ford GoBike is significantly boosting its fleet of electric bicycles in the Bay Area, allowing more people to zip up hills or zoom along city streets without panting or sweating.
With the expansion that starts Friday, Ford GoBike will more than triple its number of ebikes in San Francisco — from 250 to 850 — while bringing batterypowered two-wheelers to the East Bay for the first time.
Ebikes permit people to ride without solely relying on foot pedals, which makes it easier to travel the sloping terrain of San Francisco or the rambling flatlands of Oakland, regardless of one’s physical ability. The shiny black bikes drew enthusiasm when Ford GoBike rolled out the first batch in San Francisco in April — a newcomer to the city’s bevy of alternative transportation devices.
Since then, they’ve become a popular “last mile” solution for short stretches from a BART station or a bus stop. They offer a convenient form of transport for people who have to wear office attire or lug heavy packages.
“Once you start pedaling, it’s as if the bike were lighter or your legs were suddenly more powerful,” said Ryan Russo, director of Oakland’s Department of Transportation. He and other officials welcome electric bikes as a carrot to get more people out of cars, and as a cheaper option than BART or buses.
“We’re all about saving residents time and money and giving them access to jobs so they can stay in Oakland,” Russo said. “And we’ve got broken streets that people are frustrated about, so the fewer people driving heavy vehicles, the better.”
Likewise, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency chief Ed Reiskin praised ebikes for cutting down carbon by luring people out of automobiles.
Ford GoBike has a contract with the Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission to provide traditional and electric bicycles at docks throughout the region. San Francisco’s stock of rental GoBikes will reach nearly 2,000 once the new ebikes hit streets. The company recently added five docks in the Bayview, a neighborhood that lacks easy transit connections to the downtown core, along with several stations in the Panhandle area.
GoBike’s regional network will include 7,000 bicycles parked at 546 stations once it’s complete, making it the second-largest bikeshare system in North America.