Bringing ebikes back in San Francisco and upcoming ebike pricing changes

Starting today, we’re reintroducing hybrid ebikes to our Bay Wheels fleet in San Francisco and will add 4,000 ebikes in the city over the next six months. As part of this expansion, we continue to grow the station network and are funding thousands of additional public-use bike racks. Ebikes will complement the thousands of existing Bay Wheels classic pedal bikes in San Francisco, giving riders an even quicker way to get around with the convenience of parking at a bikeshare station or public bike rack in our expanded service area.

Until March, Bay Area riders will continue to be able to ride Bay Wheels ebikes at no extra cost, a testament to the appreciation we have for our riders loyalty following the Bay Wheels ebike service interruption earlier this year. Bay Wheels pricing will remain the same until March whether you choose to ride an ebike or pedal bike.

Alongside our city partners, we will implement additional pricing for ebike trips starting March 1. We are engaging our community partners and members to inform the best approach to pricing ebike rides so we can provide the best service possible, since ebikes have higher operational costs per ride than pedal bikes. This new pricing will take into account rider trip length, since we know riders prefer to pay for the amount they ride, and will aim to encourage parking behavior that helps our system remain balanced and accessible for everyone. It will be guided by our top priorities of retaining the value of membership and ensuring Bay Wheels is accessible and equitable for all communities. We will have specific pricing details to share soon.

We rolled out ebikes in San Jose last month and continue to work with our partners in the East Bay to bring ebikes to streets soon. We’re excited to add thousands of ebikes in the East Bay next year. We appreciate our riders’ continued loyalty and support.