E-bikes are coming to Boise, and e-scooters to Caldwell. When can you get on one?
Electric bike-shares are coming to the Treasure Valley.
Starting in July, Valley Regional Transit plans to launch a four-month pilot program in Boise with 50 e-bikes, according to a news release. E-scooters will hit the road in Caldwell at the end of June.
The Boise pilot program marks the potential return of bike-sharing in Idaho’s capital, which began in 2015 before ending in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic began. But unlike the Boise GreenBikes, as they were known, these bikes will be electric-assist, meaning that each press on the pedals will be helped along by an electric motor.
“Cities that have adopted the technology routinely see a dramatic increase in ridership, because users can more easily get to their destinations with the added electric boost,” according to the release from Valley Regional Transit, which also operated the program that ended after five years. “Plans for the bike-share system include more bikes, but also efforts to distribute the bikes more equitably throughout the community.”
The rentals will be available 24-hours a day for $10 per hour, according to the release. A monthly membership for $39 includes an hour of free rides each day. The bicycles are made by a company called Drop Mobility, based in Toronto.
Capital City Development Corp., Boise’s urban renewal agency, will pitch in $50,000 for the pilot program and match another $50,000 in sponsorships, the release said. Other funding will come from the Treasure Valley Clean Cities Coalition and the Idaho Advocates for Community Transportation.
At a meeting in April, Valley Regional Transit’s programs director, Dave Fotsch, told Capital City Development Corp. commissioners that the bikes would help provide more transit options.
“Transit and micro-mobility hold the key to reducing dependence on the single-occupancy vehicle,” he said.
If all goes well, Valley Regional Transit plans to adopt “a more extensive system next year,” according to the release.
Scooters in Caldwell
Another Treasure Valley pilot program, this one with electric scooters, will begin in Caldwell this summer.
The Canyon County city is partnering with Bird, a Los Angeles bike and scooter company, to bring 75 e-scooters to town, which will begin at a launch event on June 30, according to a news release.
“Whether going to College of Idaho or downtown Caldwell, residents and visitors will now have a new way to get there,” Ofelia Morales, the city’s economic development specialist, said in a news release. “We expect the arrival of the scooters to bring an economic impact to our city, with riders more likely to shop at local businesses.”
The scooter company offers 50% discounts to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, some local nonprofits, veterans and senior citizens, according to the release.
The program will run for 12 months but could stop at any time, a spokesperson for Caldwell, Bianca Stevenson, told the Idaho Statesman. The city will also compile a report within a couple of months after it begins to check on its success.
