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Rialto, Calif., to Launch $1M Electric Bikeshare Program

Officials are using funding from the state's Clean Mobility Options Voucher pilot program to launch electric bikeshare hubs around the city. The bikes are a preferred means of travel among residents.

Bikeshare hub - use once only
Shutterstock/BalkansCat
(TNS) — Rialto will use $1 million in state funding to stock about 15 hubs around town with 100 electric pedal-assist bikes, a program aimed at providing an affordable and accessible form of public transportation to low-income community members.

The Rialto Bike Share Program is expected to launch early next year.

"Using bicycles as a means of transportation has grown in popularity as communities try to create more balanced and sustainable transportation systems," Mayor Deborah Robertson said in a news release. "Our bike share program represents a giant step forward in eliminating mobility barriers and creating greater equity throughout the City."

A recent study concluded Rialto residents preferred such a system over other personal mobility options.

City officials last year recommended launching the program with up to 45 bikes and seven hubs.

With $1 million through the state's Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program, the city's nascent and environmentally friendly system will offer residents a way to sign up for the service without the use of a smartphone, income-based discounts and customer service in multiple languages.

There will be hubs near transit stops, areas of employment and schools.

Electric pedal-assist bikes have an electric motor that adds power each time a rider pedals.

While the city is finalizing the cost of renting a bike, there will be a single trip option, day passes, annual memberships and discounted memberships for students and low-income residents.

Bikes will be secured using a built-in smart lock. Users will be able to park bikes at a designated hub or at a bike rack within city limits for an additional fee.

All bikes will have an onboard GPS chip, allowing a team to track bikes that leave town or go missing.

"The bike share system will increase mobility options in areas that our residents identified as most in need of new solutions," Councilman Ed Scott said in the news release. "All of this is on top of the active transportation infrastructure improvements we've been implementing to make our streets safer for everyone."

Riverside discontinued its bike share program, Bike Riverside, in October due to vandalism and a decrease in ridership and revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.

©2021 the San Bernardino County Sun, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.